Cat is back after mystery seven years

A 15-year-old cat has been reunited with its Christchurch family after seven years apart. White tortoiseshell cat Angel went missing in 2013. Owner Charline Dempsey and daughter Shadae were devastated. They put flyers up, knocked on doors in their Bryndwr neighbourhood and checked the local vet – but Angel had vanished. Several years passed and both accepted Angel might no longer be alive. After all, she will be 16 on Christmas Day. In an unlikely coincidence, Angel turned up at their SPCA about aweek before Dempsey went in for her other cat. ‘‘I completely forgot we had her microchipped, so I had not kept my details up to date. The lady at the SPCA recognised myname and put two and two together,’’ Dempsey said. Where Angel was and what she did during her seven-year-long hiatus remains amystery. The only known fact is shewas surrendered to the SPCA about midway through August.