Cat missing from Lanarkshire home found 300 miles away in Coventry weeks later

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A wandering ginger and white cat from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire named Beans stunned his owners by appearing more than 300 miles away in Coventry, after going out "as normal".

Owners Cara, aged 40, and Colin McBurnie, 51, endured weeks of fruitless searches until early November when they received an unexpected call from Cats Protection. Thanks to his microchip, Beans was located.

"Beans loves to be outside and in gardens," Ms McBurnie said. "He went out as normal because he likes to go for a wander but always comes home for some food, usually after a few hours.

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"We searched and searched, looking everywhere. I’ve been out every day looking but thought something must have happened to him. I didn’t really expect to see him again but joined lots of local lost and found Facebook pages, then further afield in Scotland. I didn’t think to look in England, I didn’t imagine he could have gone that far."

Beans proved her wrong by making an incredible journey to the West Midlands. His presence there was noted by Kelly Ryan.

"I have an outdoor cat box with some straw in it and started noticing a cat hanging round," she recounted. "I didn’t feed him straight away as I thought he was probably owned, then one night saw him sleeping in the cat box and he was still there the next day, then the one after that.

"I just gave him a few biscuits to start with but heard he was going to visit other neighbours too and it felt like he was around too much and that something wasn’t quite right."

Ms Ryan took to Facebook about the cat, which led to Cats Protection getting involved. "I was so relieved when he had a chip and a loving family who had registered him as missing. He really is a miracle and I’m so grateful to the volunteers for helping him find his way home."

Wendy Harris from Cats Protection Coventry contacted Ms McBurnie with the good news. On November 12, Beans’ owners made a 600-mile round trip to collect him.

"I couldn’t believe it when Wendy told me, I was shocked out of (my) mind that he was still alive, and how he travelled over 300 miles," said Ms McBurnie. "When we got him back, we let him out in the car for a cuddle then put him back in his carrier for the long journey."

"We were all exhausted and he slept in the bed all night by my husband. Even my other cat, Missy, was happy to see him, they usually keep a bit of a distance but had a nice moment and a sniff together. I’m so glad we had him microchipped and updated his record. There’s no way he’d have come back to us otherwise."

How Beans managed to travel such a distance remains a mystery Madison Rogers, Cats Protection's associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs, commented: "It’s a real testament to the power of the microchip that Beans could be reunited with his owners just 24 hours after being scanned. Without a chip it’s unlikely Beans would ever have found his way back to the family who love him so much."

For guidance on what actions to take if you come across a stray cat, check out www.cats.org.uk/stray-cats which includes a downloadable guide.

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