A WINSLEY family have said they are over the moon that their beloved cat, which went missing a year ago, has been found safe and well – just a mile and a half away from their home.

The Rendell’s cat, Mummy Puss, went missing at the end of February last year but on a routine trip to pick up her children from St Laurence School, mum-of-four Ella Rendell was surprised to notice the cat was hidden near the bike sheds.

Mrs Rendell, 34 of Dane Rise said: “It was when walking past the bike sheds to go back to my car that I noticed her. She followed me all the way out and I thought it has been a year and I am not leaving without her now so I picked her up and took her home.”

Throughout the past 12 months, the family have been putting up posters and leaflets around the village asking residents to get in contact with them if they have seen the cat, with many reporting sightings.

Jessica, 14 along with her younger sisters and brother said they went on weekly walks to find Mummy Puss based on the response.

She added: “We got a few phone calls about her been seen and we all got really excited but when we went and looked, we couldn’t find her. We never gave up but we didn’t think she was ever going to come back.”

The 11-year-old black and white puss used to be a farm cat and has been known to scavenge her own food although the family believe she had a helping hand with meals for the past year.

Mrs Rendell added: “Everyone was really happy to have her back because when she got home, she was back to normal.”

After being checked over, Mummy Puss seemed happy and healthy but Mrs Rendell said: “She was dirty and greasy and smelt horrible but she let us give her a bath which we thought she might go a bit mad at but she loved it. Then she ate some food and drank some water before going back to the same spot of where she sleeps in our bedroom.

“There were no marks or anything on her and she seemed really happy so I made sure to keep an eye on her but she was back to her old self.”

The family have said they hope Mummy Puss doesn’t stray too far from home in the future.