A missing cat found in High Wycombe has been reunited with his owner who lives 250 miles away – in Belgium.

Milene Letertre was left devastated when she had to return home to Silly, Belgium, last year without her beloved cat Gizmo, who went missing while she temporarily lived in Buckinghamshire.

But, ten months after the crafty cat went missing, it was found by a member of public just under a mile away from where it was last seen – with the RSCPA startled to discover its owner was registered abroad when scanning the feline’s microchip.

Ms Letertre, who was living in Amersham Hill while studying in the UK, said: “When I received a call from an RSPCA inspector saying that Gizmo had been found I initially thought it was a bad joke.

“I didn't believe this could happen ten months after we lost him. It still seems unbelievable to me.

“Last June, my dad had to travel for three months and so I proposed to take care of Gizmo in High Wycombe for that amount of time.

“So, last June, I took him to High Wycombe so that he could come and live with me and my partner for three months.

“Unfortunately, Gizmo escaped by a small window one day in August [2015] and despite us looking for days and weeks after him, we never found him.”

Eight-year-old Gizmo could not be found before Ms Letertre moved back to home in Belgium three months later.

But last week, the RSPCA received a call from a concerned member of the public about a cat found in Foxhill Close which appeared to be ill.

On Thursday, Ms Letertre travelled from Silly to High Wycombe to collect Gizmo and take him back to her home in Belgium, after the RSPCA contacted her following the microchip discovery.

She said: “In November, when I moved back to Belgium, I lost hope I would ever find him. It broke my heart that I would never know what happened to him.”

She added: “Ever since I received the phone call about Gizmo, the RSPCA has been very professional and very helpful, for which I am very grateful.”

RSPCA chief inspector Rob Hartley said: “Gizmo was found wandering a street in High Wycombe in a bad way - he seemed to be very ill, his fur was falling out and he was completely disinterested in food.

“We immediately had him scanned for a microchip, which showed that his owner lived overseas. It just goes to show the importance of microchips.”

He added: “We have no idea what adventures Gizmo has had in the last 10 months but he will no doubt be very contented to be back at his home in Belgium.”

For more information, visit www.rspca.org.uk