A mischievous kitten who took a long-distance trip from her home on the Yorkshire coast is back with her family thanks to the RSPCA – and the help of an up-to-date microchip.
Loki went missing from her home in Filey, but a week later she mysteriously reappeared in Bradford, a journey of around 85 miles.
The feline slipped through the door of a householder in the city on July 8 and when the RSPCA was contacted her owner was tracked down using the details on her microchip.
RSPCA inspector Adam Dickinson, who transported Loki to the RSPCA York, Harrogate and District Branch, admits everyone is baffled how the kitten made her way to West Yorkshire, but says the happy ending demonstrates the importance of microchipping cats and keeping those details up to date.
Loki’s heart-warming story comes as the RSPCA has launched its Cancel Our Cruelty fund-raising campaign to help more animals in need during the summer – when it sees a rise of animal cruelty with 245 reports every day.
Loki’s name derives from the God of Mischief in Nordic mythology and the four-month-old kitten certainly lived up to her name. One possible explanation for her long-distance journey is that she may have been snatched and then slipped away from her captors.
She certainly wasn’t in Bradford visiting relatives, her owner, Claire Harrison says they have no connections with the city. Fortunately Claire recently had Loki neutered and microchipped and she placed a missing notification on the chip.
She and her children, Ben 10 and George, six, were overjoyed to hear the news she’d been found and made their way to York Animal Home, where Loki was waiting for a happy reunion.
Adam said: “We don’t know whether Loki got into someone’s car or not. But she’s travelled quite a distance from Filey to York – she’s certainly not walked that.
“A lady was opening her back door in Bradford and Loki ran inside. When I examined here there was a shaved patch of fur on her side, so I assumed she had recently been neutered, which is when cats are usually microchipped.”
In another twist to the tale, Loki was reunited with her family on National Kitten Day on July 10. They may never know just quite how she made her Bradford journey. Buts just in case she takes another wander, the Harrisons have bought an airtag collar so they can track their kitten’s location.
Adam added: “I don’t think we’ll ever find out how Loki managed to get to Bradford to be honest. We just don’t know whether someone has taken her and then let her out in the city. But the main thing is she is back with her owners, unharmed and doing well.
“Her story shows the importance of microchipping your cat. Most cats we find aren’t and finding updated chips can be rare too as you often discover they still have their breeders’ names still on them or phone numbers just ring out.
“Responsible owners ensure their animals are neutered and microchipped. Loki’s owners did just that and as a result we were able to reunite the family with their pet.”
