Tigger the ginger tomcat was found wandering in a sorry state in Northern Ireland and handed over to Cats Protection workers.

It wasn't until they checked out his microchip they found his owners were in Australia.

They've been traced through a social media campaign - now animal welfare staff are hoping for a reunion. 

"We received a phone call from a member of the public who'd found a cat out in their back garden who was really poorly so we went out and picked him up. I didn't know if he was really sick or really old, he was just a back of bones. Dropped him to the vet who did the usual scan for a microchip and that's when we found he was microchipped so that was good news. When we contacted the microchip company that was when it all went crazy because we found out he was microchipped in Australia," an employee said.

It's likely Tigger was originally taken from Australia to London by his owners although how he ended up in Northern Ireland is still a mystery.

Tigger's said to be in poor health so it's hoped a reunion with his family in Australia will happen swiftly.