A missing cat has been reunited with its owner, months after the animal lover left England never expecting to see the long-lost pet again.

Gizmo vanished in August last year after his owner, Milene Letertre, originally left their native Belgium to study and work in the UK, having temporarily taken her beloved pet with her.

Despite an extensive search around Ms Letertre's home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the eight-year-old cat could not be found before Ms Letertre's return to her homeland.

Ms Letertre 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."

A concerned member of the public alerted the RSPCA to Gizmo after the pet was found in a bad state a short distance from Ms Letertre's former home in the Buckinghamshire town.

RSPCA chief inspector Rob Hartley said: "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."

Ms Letertre and Gizmo were reunited last week after she travelled to the UK to take him back to the town of Silly, 20km south west of Brussels, where she lives.

She said: "When I received a call from an RSPCA inspector saying that Gizmo had been found I initially thought it was a bad joke. It still seems unbelievable to me."

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