A cat lover has been reunited with his pet Percy after he went missing 10 years ago.

David Allinson, from Henlow, Bedfordshire, discovered that Percy was missing in June 2003 and immediately set about looking for his furry friend.

Distributing thousands of leaflets and putting an advert in the local paper, he did all he could to get Percy home safely - but the only response came from hoax callers goading him about the disappearance.

"I was devastated when Percy went missing and did all I could to try and find him, but as the years went by I truly believed I would never see him again," he said.

"I wondered when the weather was particularly bad if he was safe and warm and often feared the worst."

David Allinson with Percy.

Percy, a shorthaired cat now aged 15, had moved 15 miles down the road to Cockayne Hatley, where he found another home with an elderly lady and was later taken in by her neighbour after her death.

Unbeknown to them both, Percy's new owner was one of David's work colleagues, Ruth Hart, who revealed the mystery after having Percy's scanned for a microchip.

Mr Allinson said: "After I called Ruth, we arranged a meeting so I could reunite with Percy.

"He was afraid and was hiding behind the sofa and when I called his name he came running into my arms. I burst into tears - I couldn't believe it, it was my Percy."

Choosing to leave Percy in his new home, David visits him once a month and receives regular pictures.

Mrs Hart, from Cockayne Hatley, said: "It is lovely having kept Percy in the village and we always look forward to David visiting.

"He recently came to see Percy for his 15th birthday and brought around gifts for Percy. It's such a perfect end to his story that he was found by David after all those years."