A FAMILY Christmas was made complete for a Princetown couple and their children when their beloved cat, who went missing four years ago, turned up 20 miles away.

Willow was one of four pet cats that went missing from a small close in Princetown within months of each other in 2007.

Willow's owners Cristel and Mark Worth were shocked when they received a call the day after Boxing Day from Gables Farm Dogs' and Cats' Home in Plympton, saying they had their pet.

The 10-year-old moggy, who had been looked after months earlier by an Elburton couple until room became available at Gables to take her in, was finally identified thanks to a microchip which gave her name and her owner's contact details.

Mrs Worth said:?'It's the best Christmas present ever. I think she recognised me and Mark but at the time she went missing our eldest daughter was only 18-months-old and our youngest, Olivia Rose, had not even been born.

'That first night back she slept on my bed and she has settled in well and loves all the fuss she is getting. How she managed to get across the moors is astounding. I just wish she could talk and tell us about her adventures.'

Mrs Worth said she was very grateful to the Elburton couple who had cared for Willow after she turned up in their garden one day and was eating the bird food because she was so hungry.

'She was very timid and insecure and after speaking to the RSPCA they built a shelter for her. They have done an awful lot for her and without them I think Willow might have ended up as a wild cat.

'I think something happened to her involving a vehicle because she is very nervous around cars.

'We had almost given up hope we would find her again but we never got another cat so maybe there was a tiny shred of hope left.

'Willow now has my two doting daughters and myself all making a fuss of her and there is no shortage of cat treats. We have even bought her a scratching post with ribbons on it and she seems very contented.'

Gables Farm is urging all owners to have their pets microchipped.