Australian cat reunited with owners after being found 9,000 miles away in Scotland

A cat who was registered to an address in Australia has been reunited with his owners after he was found 9,000 miles away in Scotland.

Melvin the cat was picked up by the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) on 23rd May when a member of the public reported their concerns for him.

Believing him to be a stray, he had been visiting their home since Christmas and getting fed twice a day. However, they had grown concerned for him after noticing he wasn’t looking well and had stopped getting along with their cat. 

Melvin was picked up from the streets by Scottish SPCA chief inspector, Laura McIntyre, who took him to get checked over by a vet and then had him transferred to the charity’s Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.

As usual, the animal carers scanned Melvin to see if he was microchipped and were surprised when it was revealed he was registered to an address in Australia. 

Laura explained: ‘One of the first things we do with animals when they come into our care is scan them for a microchip.

‘As you can imagine, the team were slightly confused when Melvin’s details came back registered to an address in Australia.’

Thankfully, with a little digging and some help from Cats Protection, the mystery behind Melvin’s epic journey was unravelled and Laura and the team were able to reunite him with his owners Jacqueline and Matt Dick after a whopping nine months.

It turned out the couple had previously been living in Australia and adopted Australian-born Melvin as a kitten.

After 14 years down under they decided to move back to Scotland and splashed roughly £4,200 to bring Melvin and their border collie Max, home to Scotland.

However, in August 2022, just eight weeks after moving into their new place, Melvin went missing.

Discussing the reunion, Laura said: ‘We were delighted to be able to reunite Melvin with Jacqueline and Matt after all this time.

Cheeky Mervin had been getting fed by a stranger twice a day since Christmas but after five months began to look poorly and started scrapping with their cat – prompting them to report him as a stray

Mervin’s brother Max was also delighted to have his mate home. The team later learned that while in Australia Melvin was attacked by a hungry dingo and only survived thanks to the dog, who scared it off – the two seen here recovering

‘It is so important to have your pets microchipped so that, as in this case, owners can be traced quickly.’

Alice Palombo of Scotland Cats Protection added: ‘Melvin’s story goes to show why microchipping is so important and we’re thrilled that he has been reunited with his owners thanks to his chip.

‘Microchipping for pet cats will become compulsory for pet cats in England from next year and Cats Protection is calling for the Scottish Government to also introduce this, so Scottish cats are not left behind.’

Melvin was reunited with his tearful owners who were delighted to have him home, as was Max the dog.

The team later learned that while in Australia Melvin was attacked by a hungry dingo and only survived thanks to the dog, who scared it off.