Couple thanks Royston community for helping find missing cat

Ben Hewitt and Emily Mackay - who moved to Royston at the beginning of December - were devastated when their cat Norman went missing on Christmas morning.

The couple handed out hundreds of flyers and posted on social media, and Animal Search UK's Missing Pet Search Team also visited Royston to help.

Norman was found after a dog walker spotted a stray, scraggly cat on the edge of the RSPB Fowlmere nature reserve, and posted a photo to their village Facebook group.

Emily Mackay was reunited with her cat Norman (Image: Lyndsey Woods)

Royston resident Lyndsey Woods sent the post to Ben and Emily, and offered to drive Emily to the nature reserve to help look for him.

After searching for a couple of hours to no avail, another dog walker who Emily had given a flyer to saw Norman and phoned Ben, who directed Emily to Norman's location.

Emily gave Norman some food and milk and was able to get him in his cage to take him home.

Ben and Emily said:  "We still can't believe we have him back, and to wake up in the morning to see him sleeping on our bed and hear him purring is incredible.

"He's very skinny, very tired and has lost some fur, but he's already rallying.

"We want to say a huge thanks to everyone who offered us help, especially Lyndsey Woods, who runs a pet-care service, and drove Emily to Fowlsmere to help look for him.

"Although it's been a torrid four weeks, the support and kindness of everyone in Royston really meant a lot to us.

"Since Norman went missing on December 25, we're now going to have another stab at Christmas Day, complete with presents for him and a bit of roast turkey."

Neither the original dog walker who spotted Norman nor Lyndsey wanted the reward money, so Ben and Emily insisted that the money be donated to charities of the finders' choosing.

£500 went to Jimmy's in Cambridge, which helps people sleeping rough, and another £500 went to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.