A Mearns woman is “over the moon” after her beloved budgie was rescued from the mouth of a pet cat six weeks after it went missing.
Penny Campbell had resigned herself to never seeing Rosie Bloom again after the bird managed to escape through the conservatory window of her Stonehaven home.
But more than a month later it was prized from the jaws of cat Bear, which is owned by eminent forensic anthropologist Dame Professor Sue Black and her husband Tom, who also live in the town.
And there was even more of a connection as the firm Miss Campbell works for had recently finished work on Mr Black’s home.
The pair live on the other side of the town meaning the plucky pet managed to travel a mile relatively unscathed.
The 47-year-old said: “I was absolutely delighted, just over the moon, when I found out.
“Kirkton Vet Centre had posted a picture on their Facebook page and my friend texted me to say she thought it was Rosie.
“Initially I thought the dog might have eaten it but discovered she had managed to get out the house.
“My mum and I had gone searching for her because we live close to a wooded area but couldn’t find her.
“I think it’s pretty unusual for a budgie to survive as long, it might be because of the good weather.
“She’s got an injured foot and can’t really walk just now but she’s back in her cage with her brother.”
Prof Black said it was not unusual for their cat to bring home birds and mice and present them as gifts.
But she said they decided to take swift action when they realised that Bear had a hold of someone’s pet.
She said: “We heard the squawking and thought we were going to be faced with a mauled sparrow or something along those lines.
“So it was a huge surprise when I saw the blue colouring.
“It was a bit of a farce really, us trying to get the bird from his mouth but we managed in the end and put it in the cat’s basket, which seemed a bit cruel, and took it to the vet’s.
“We never expected anyone to come forward.”