A cat missing for an entire year has been reunited with his owner after an incredible 1,200-mile journey through three countries.
Nicole Souillard, owner of Pierre, was thrilled to hear her cat was alive and travelled to the UK to be reunited with him.
The moggie stowed away on the back of a haulage lorry in Italy after travelling from his home in France.
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He then ended up in Britain where he was eventually handed in to a vets.
Now, after some clever detective work, he has been reunited with his owner.
The cat was affectionately dubbed Pierre by vets after being found on the back of a lorry in Telford, Shropshire.
He was taken into Southwater Vets by the driver, as reported by What’s The Jam.
After his 1,200-mile journey through Italy, France and across the English Channel, the cat stayed at the veterinary clinic until the reunion.
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Rachel Harvey, practice manager at Southwater Veterinary Group, said: “It was quite a surprise to have Pierre brought into reception with no idea where he’d come from or how he’d snuck his way into the HGV.
“Fortunately he was microchipped and we learned he was registered to a French database.
“After some digging, Pierre’s owner was traced and we managed to speak with her using Google Translate.
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“It turned out he’d been missing for over 12 months from his home near Calais.”
After just under a fortnight in isolation at the veterinary practice, Pierre then spent two more weeks quarantined in Dover before Nicole was able to collect him and take him home.
Rachel said: “This is the happiest ending we could have hoped for, for such an extraordinary story.
“Pierre is safely back home in France with his family, none the worse for his travels and certainly with a tale to tell his friends!
“This is fantastic proof of the importance of microchipping your pets and updating those details if your address changes.
“If Pierre, or should I say Ushuaia, hadn’t been microchipped, the outcome likely would not have been the same.”
During his time at Southwater Vets, Pierre – whose real name is Ushuaia -remained in quarantine and received treatment for an abscess under his chin and an ulcer.
Rachel added: “He didn’t seem to mind his new surroundings and he settled nicely into his routine of wound cleaning, medication – and of course cuddles.
“There was a hint of sadness among the team when he began his return route as we’d grown to love his company.”
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