A stray cat called Gypsy has been rescued in the UK – almost 1,000 miles from its home in Germany.
The elderly male cat was found in a malnourished and bedraggled condition. It was initally feared he could have been left behind by holidaymakers.
Rescuers are trying to track down the stray cat’s owners after an indentification chip revealed its home address is in Germany.
Animal welfare experts from the Scottish SPCA believe Gypsy’s owners have recently moved from Germany to Britain and the poor moggy simply got lost.
Vicky Roy, animal rescue officer at the Scottish SPCA, said: “As well as being microchipped. Gypsy has identification tattoos made up of small dots in both ears.
“One ear has the number ’96’ inside, which we believe could be the year he was born.
“This would mean he is around sixteen years old, which we think would be about right as he is definitely an older cat.
“His other ear has initials inside, which we think may be his owner’s.
“However, we are not going to reveal what these are as these will help us confirm that Gypsy belongs to anyone who does come forward.”
Gaunt Gypsy was picked up by the animal charity after being reported to them by a concerned resident in Glasgow’s west end on September 18.
Vicky added: “Gypsy is registered on the Pet Travel Scheme database so he has travelled here from Germany at some point.
“It may be that his owner brought him to Scotland when they moved here and he has gone missing recently.
“We also can’t rule out the possibility he has come over on holiday with his owner and has been left behind.
“If he has been an outdoor cat in Germany and his owner has given him outside access here too, he could easily have lost his way if he is new to the area.
“He is underweight, which could be because he’s been straying for a while but it could also be a result of him being an elderly cat.
“We hope someone will recognise Gypsy as we’d really like to return him home, wherever that may be.”
