Tom Marchington and his cat Nesta

by Emma Grove

Two cats which went missing from the same place three months apart have turned up within 12 hours of each other – one of them having travelled the 2.7 miles home by himself.

It comes after Christine Snody’s pet Smokey (pictured below) escaped from Appleyard Cattery in Plough Road, Eastchurch last week – three months after Tom Marchington’s moggy Nesta got out at the same site.

The owners of the cats and Nicole Ingleton, who runs Appleyard, were devastated by the escapes and had been out looking for them regularly.

Miss Snody, of Marine Parade, Sheerness, got a phone call recently from Pauline Walsall at Punnetts Farm, just down the road from the cattery, to say she had seen Smokey on her land.

“I had been up at 5am that morning looking for her again down in the fields and calling her name but hadn’t had any luck,” said Miss Snody.

“Then after the phone call I went up there – it was dark but through the light of the torch we managed to catch her eyes.

“We were a long while coaxing and calling her but we managed it and got her in the basket.”

Hours later, as Mr Marchington’s parents Monica and Nathan got up for breakfast, they came downstairs to find Nesta sitting in their kitchen at Silverdale Avenue, Minster – almost three miles away from Appleyard.

Mrs Marchington said they were absolutely stunned to see Nesta as they had been out looking every day since he went missing in June.

She and her husband went straight upstairs to wake their son and tell him his beloved pet was home.

“We are over the moon and just couldn’t believe it – we all cried,” Mrs Marchington said.

“It’s incredible the timing of it with Smokey found the night before.

“We’ve got absolutely no idea where he’s been but he seems fine. There’s not a mark on him – he just looks thinner.”

Mrs Ingleton agreed it is a weird coincidence they both turned up and said she’s delighted.

“This is so wonderful – I’m just elated,” she added.

“I would like to thank Pauline and her daughter for all their efforts – both are true animal lovers.”