A family's beloved pet cat has returned home two years after going missing.

Cobweb went missing from her home in Westerham back in 2017, leaving teenage owner, Ella Clark, heartbroken.

She explained how she had completely given up hope of every seeing the five-year-old moggy again and was stunned when her mum, Lizzie Hughes, received a call to say she had been found.

The tabby had been living at Clacket Lane service station on the M25, less than 20 minutes away from the family's home.

The manager decided to take her to Mark Nelson Vets, in London Road, to see if she was micro-chipped after motorists had enquired about adopting her.

There a vet was able to check for the chip and trace her owners.

Cobweb has often gone wandering off but her owners always hoped she would return.

They believe her difficult relationship with her brother, Tempest, might have been to blame for her leaving home.

Ella, 19, said: "Up to a year after she disappeared, my mum wandered round the countryside calling for her.

“It was extremely upsetting and we just hoped that she would cope living rough as she is streetwise. We thought the best-case scenario was that someone might have taken her in.

“She was always very happy at home with me and my family, she just didn’t have a good relationship with her brother, from the same litter.

“After two years, we had no expectation of ever seeing her again. When my mum received the call from the vets, it was so emotional, we both started crying.”

Cobweb is now settling back at home and has been treated for a skin condition. She has doubled in weight as she was just a young cat when she went missing.

She's probably doubled her weight because motorists who stop for a break at services might have been feeding her.

Cobweb could have been eating a range of food from eateries at the site, including Chozen Noodle, Fresh Food Café, McDonald's, Krispy Kreme, Pret a Manger.

However, KentOnline doesn't think Cobweb spent much time at the Costa Drive Thru

The emotional reunion has prompted calls for owners to have their pets micro-chipped and keep the details up to date.

Gemma Wade, Mark Nelson Vets head veterinary nurse, said: “Without a microchip, it is unlikely there would have been such a happy ending for Cobweb and her owners.

“Because the family had registered her as missing, we knew when we scanned her that this was a missing cat.

It is rare that a cat that has been missing for so long to be returned to their owners because often owners move house and don’t update their contact details.

“Having your pet micro-chipped is inexpensive and painless, and can help you be reunited with your lost animal.”

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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