A cat who went missing 20 months ago from his home in Oban turned up nearly 200 miles away in Aberdeen.
Nine-year-old Misha’s “new” owner – who had been looking after the puss for 17 months – was shocked to discover his real owners were pining for him back on the West Coast.
Gregoria Kaouni Papazacharia only discovered that Misha – who she had been calling Obie – had a home in Oban after taking him to the vet in Aberdeen.
It was there she discovered a “chip” that alerted his original owners Tam and Fiona Ferris, who both work at the town’s Hope Kitchen, that he was alive and well.
‘We were devastated’
Misha went missing in January 2022 and his family were heartbroken.
For months, people in Oban reported sightings of the popular cat.
Misha lived most of his time at McCaig’s Tower entertaining tourists and would come home to Fiona and Tam’s home, which is near the tower, for food.
His brother Parsley had a popular Facebook page before he retired. Misha and Parsley are even mentioned in dozens of reviews on Trip Advisor.
Fiona said: “We were devastated when Misha disappeared. We didn’t know what had happened. We were convinced he was dead.
“We had so many fears about what had happened to him, not least that someone thought he wasn’t loved.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. He is a well-loved cat, as are his brothers.
“Because of the Facebook page for Parsley and the many thousands of visitors who photographed him, everyone was really distressed when Misha was taken.”
She added: “We had no idea what happened to Misha and we were careful not to speculate.
“But we were confident he hadn’t just wandered off.”
Oban cat Misha was discovered in Aberdeen
Meanwhile, Gregoria – who lives at the Ocean Apartments in Aberdeen – had been ensuring Misha was living the high life, taking him to hotels and on holidays across the country, even a nine-day trip around the NC500.
The couple has since discovered that in January 2022 a couple from Aberdeen watched Misha playing about the tower. After a few days, they made the decision that he was homeless and took him home with them.
The couple looked after Misha for a few months before asking Gregoria to take him in.
Around 17 months ago, Gregoria took over Misha’s care full-time.
Tam, who runs a popular music group in Oban, said: “(We discovered that) the person who took him away eventually passed him onto the woman who has looked after him for the last 17 months.
“She adores him. She was planning to take him abroad on holiday and took him to the vet to get him chipped in preparation and discovered that he was already chipped.
“We travelled to Aberdeen on Wednesday and picked him up. The woman who had him made us so welcome, Misha appeared to be happy to see us.”
Tam Ferris was delighted to see Misha after she went missing. Image: Fiona and Tam Ferris.
‘Massive reaction’ to cat’s disappearance
Tam said lots of people will be delighted to see Misha home.
He said: “There was a massive reaction to him going missing. We’re going to need an extension for the Dreamies when we announce he’s back home.
“We did consider letting him stay in his new life as we worried about uprooting him again.
“However, we decided to bring him back. He is a remarkable cat and we love him.”
‘I miss him desperately’
Gregoria, who has lived in Aberdeen for four years, said the cat’s departure from Aberdeen has left her feeling alone.
She said: “Misha was there when I got home, and he did everything with me.
“I miss him desperately and if I could drive across the country for just five minutes to pet him I would.”
Gregoria is hoping that she will adopt another animal in the next few months.