A cat lover has spoken of her joy at being reunited with the precious pet she thought she had lost forever after it went missing for two and a half months after the feline escaped during a pit stop at an A1 service station.

Kimberley Smith was left heartbroken when her cat Suki slipped her harness and ran off into the woods at Scotch Corner service station on the A1 near Richmond in North Yorkshire earlier this year.

At the time, Kimberley was in the process of moving house from Kilmarnock, Scotland, to Ripley, Derbyshire, and had decided to take a break at Scotch Corner.

Suki the catSuki the cat (Image: WEAR REFERRALS) She feared Suki would be lost forever but two-and-a-half months later she wept tears of relief and happiness as she was reunited with her missing moggy at animal hospital Wear Referrals in Bradbury, County Durham.

Kimberley said: “We stopped off at Scotch Corner for a rest and I put the harnesses on Suki and my other cat Jess to allow them to get out of their cat boxes for a little bit and have a bit of a stretch. 

“Suki got startled and managed to slip her harness and ran off into the woods. I spent the next two hours trying to get her to come back to me but she was too scared. 

“Every time I got close to her, the branches would snap under my feet and she would run off again and hide. I was heartbroken she would not come back to me."

Suki and JessSuki and Jess (Image: WEAR REFERRALS) “In the end, I had to do the inevitable and leave her as I couldn’t stay there all day, especially when I still had two hours to drive home," Kimberley added.

“But I got some food from the car and put it down in the woods for her so I knew she would have something. I then had to get my partner Steven to drive the car home while I cried and cried.

“When we got back that night, I settled Jess in and I tried to settle myself but I couldn't as I was missing my baby girl. 

"So, I made plans the next day to travel back up to Scotch Corner to see if I could get her back but, sadly, there was no sight of her anywhere.

Kim, Kimberley and Suki, with Alicia from Wear ReferralsKim, Kimberley and Suki, with Alicia from Wear Referrals (Image: WEAR REFERRALS) “I put more food down for her and prayed that someone had found her and was looking after her – I didn't want to think of a larger animal getting her!”

Kimberley’s prayers were answered almost three months later when she received a phone call saying Suki was safe and being cared for at Wear Referrals.

She added: “I couldn't believe it! I immediately called Wear and they confirmed they had Suki and that she was alive and doing well. I couldn't stop the tears coming down my face. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to see her.

Suki the cat is back homeSuki the cat is back home (Image: WEAR REFERRALS) “I travelled up to Wear and was shaking while I was waiting to get into the consultant room to see her.  I couldn’t wait for her to recognise me and let me hold her and snuggle into her. 

“She was a little apprehensive at first but is now back to coming straight for a hug when I get in from work. She also snuggles with me on the sofa when I'm watching TV and lies at the bottom of the bed on her cover at night.”

Wear’s operations manager Suzanne Pickering revealed the hospital had used the information on Suki’s microchip to help return her to Kimberley.

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Suzanne said: “On the microchip, we found the details for a vet practice in Scotland. We contacted them and they said they would call the owner.

“It wasn’t long before the owner contacted us and she was over the moon with the news. Our client care team member Kim, who found Suki’s primary care vet’s contact information, was there at the reunion. 

“It shows the importance of having your pet microchipped. It’s now the law in England that your cat must be microchipped and registered by the time they’re 20 weeks old."