A pensioner couple has been amazingly reunited with their pet cat six years after she went missing.

Pauline and Trevor Robinson gave up hope of ever seeing their beloved pet Georgie again after she darted out of a window at their home near Durham in 2016.

But what appeared to be a routine call for RSPCA inspector John Lawson last month turned into a happy reunion.

The inspector had been alerted to a cat who was underweight and suffering from an open sore on her throat, living in bushes on Front Street in Pity Me.

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A check revealed Georgie was microchipped and that her owners lived just around the corner.

Pauline and Trevor had not seen their cat since September 2016 and were so upset when she went missing, they had a plaque made in her memory.

After an emotional reunion, Georgie, who is now 14 years old, is settling back home and is preparing to meet the couple’s two other cats, Charlie and Sabrina, and rescue dog, Bree.

The Northern Echo: Georgie and Pauline. Picture: RSPCAGeorgie and Pauline. Picture: RSPCA (Image: RSPCA)

“Georgie was eight when she went missing. We had her as a kitten from the same litter as another cat, Fudge, who has passed now. We were so upset we knocked on doors and put up posters for weeks to try and find her, but eventually, we accepted that she wasn’t coming back and that she had probably died,” recalled Pauline.

“It’s a miracle really and we couldn’t understand how she was so close to us. My son lives on Front Street, and we used to walk down that way with our dog.

“Maybe someone took her in for some of those years because I don’t think she would have survived living rough for that long.

The Northern Echo: A plaque that they made for Georgie. Picture: RSPCAA plaque that they made for Georgie. Picture: RSPCA (Image: RSPCA)

“We’d been out one night and there was a card from the RSPCA put through the door saying they thought they’d found our cat. Once they described her to me, I knew it was her.

The happy story unfolded after a local resident contacted the RSPCA over concerns about the health of a stray cat.

After catching her, she received veterinary treatment for her neck problem and remains on a course of steroids but is reported to be making good progress after her years of feral living.

The Northern Echo: Georgie when she was caught by the RSPCA. Picture: RSPCAGeorgie when she was caught by the RSPCA. Picture: RSPCA (Image: RSPCA)

“Georgie wasn’t doing very well, to be honest when I found her,” said inspector Lawson.

“She was very underweight and had a flea infection. She was living rough and a resident who was feeding her said she’d been aware of her for at least two years.

“Georgie had been a house cat who never ventured out until she got out through a window.

“It’s incredible she was living maybe just three streets away from Pauline and Trevor.

“It also demonstrates the importance of getting cats microchipped. Georgie would not have been reunited with her owners without one.”

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