A WOMAN who lost her cat last November was overjoyed to find her safe and well in Cirencester seven months later.

Amanda Byrne, 47, noticed that her cat, Maisey, had gone missing after bonfire night last year.

After searching tirelessly to find her, Amanda received a call more than half a year later to say two-year-old Maisey had been found, and had three kittens.

“The neighbours had some really loud fireworks and somehow, even though it was locked, Maisey managed to get out of the cat flap,” said Amanda.

“I think she must have been scared and just started running.”

The Byrne family tried everything to get Maisey back, putting up posters around town and sharing the news with all their friends.

Seven months on, when all hope of finding their beloved cat was almost lost, Amanda received a call saying Maisey had been found.

“My 14-year-old son answered the phone and he came running up to me screaming,” she said. “I was absolutely elated and I have to say, I shed a few tears.”

Leading the rescue mission was Alan Jefferson-Mackney of Manor Farm Cattery. He received a call from a business in Cirencester explaining that a cat and three kittens had been found at the property.

“I thought she was feral,” said Alan. “So we set up a trap to catch her. It took a few weeks but I kept going back.”

Eventually, Alan managed to catch Maisey but it appeared that the kittens were lost.

Maisey was then taken to Ashcroft Veterinary Surgery in Cirencester and, after discovering she had a micro chip, Amanda was called.

“I feared the kittens were dead,” added Alan. “When I went back to pick up the traps I thought I would have one more look. Then I saw the three kittens, right in the same place I first saw them.”

While Maisey was reunited with overjoyed owner Amanda, the kittens named Linda, Shirley and Fayette have been taken to Manor Farm Cattery in Cirencester and are looking for homes.