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Cat believed dead found after 11 years
Toby is now back at home with Justine and Eric Allan.
Toby has been reunited with his family thanks to his microchip.

A family in Nuneaton, Warwickshire has been reunited with their pet cat 11 years after they presumed he had died.

Toby had gone missing not long after Justine and Eric Allan moved home in December 2012. Living near a busy road, the family had feared the worse.

Now, owing to his microchip, he is finally back home.

A member of the public in nearby Bedworth contacted Cats Protection after she noticed that a cat she had occasionally fed, but hadn’t seen for a long time, was hanging around the bin stores of her building.

Thinking that the cat was a female which had gained weight, she phoned Cats Protection in case it was a pregnant stray which needed help.

Wendy Harris, coordinator for Cats Protection’s Coventry Branch, said: “A lady rang us late on Saturday evening when the cat appeared and our volunteer Lorraine went out at 9pm to scan the cat and it turned out not only did it have a chip but that he was a neutered male named Toby, rather than female as originally believed.”

The charity got in touch with the owners, who soon came to collect him.

Toby is now settling back into life at home, where he is getting to know Bernie, the family’s one-year-old King Charlies cavalier.

Mrs Allan said: “He doesn’t seem different at all, he’s obviously been cared for and fed by somebody, I just wish he could tell us what happened.

“I never thought in a million years I’d see him again. Think of all those things that have happened in that time. I’m so grateful to the lady who took him in and to Cats Protection for coming out on Saturday night especially as he wasn’t easy to catch!”

Madison Rogers, Cats Protection’s head of advocacy, campaigns and government relations, said: “It is always wonderful to hear stories like Toby’s where a cat and owner have been reunited thanks to their microchip after so many years apart.

“We cannot know what happened to Toby before he was scanned but we encourage anybody who finds a cat who they believe to be lost or stray to take them to a vet or contact an animal rescue charity where they can be checked for a microchip.”

Image © J Allan

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
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RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."