The cat - who has been named ‘Ivan’ - was found back in October wandering around the Netley area of Southampton.
A local couple fed him in their garden – where he had been sleeping rough – and later allowed him into their house. However, their two existing cats didn’t react well to having this new house guest in their midst, forcing them to get in touch with Cats Protection, who moved him to their centre on the Isle of Wight, where he was quarantined and given a rabies vaccine.
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On closer inspection, it turned out that he had a microchip registered in Russia, but no actual address details were provided, leaving Ivan’s exact origins a mystery.
There are a number of possible scenarios to draw upon here. One is that he somehow stowed away on a transport heading to the UK, and simply wandered off when he got here - in the process displaying the kind of espionage skills that would leave many a spy nodding in approval.
Alternatively, he could have belonged to a family who have recently moved here, and gotten lost and disorientated. The possibilities are myriad.
Regardless, Cats Protection are now making a public appeal to find Ivan’s owners. If they can’t do this then he’ll be rehomed.
Center manager Mel Read, speaking to the Express & Star, says this is a textbook example of why owners need to keep their pets’ microchip details updated: “An up-to-date microchip would have made such a difference in this situation.
“It just takes a quick call to your cat’s microchip company, or many can be updated online.”
