Hold on to your whiskers, folks, because this cat tale is going to make you purr with delight.
Meet Clive, a Norwegian Forest cat who disappeared from his home in 2014 and was recently found living his best life as a gourmet cat-burglar down the road.
When Clive first disappeared, his owners Tanya and Jonathan Irons were heartbroken. They put up posters and launched a Facebook appeal, but there was no sign of their beloved kitty.
Little did they know, Clive was living large in a nearby pet food factory, enjoying all the treats he could steal.
The staff at the pet food factory became suspicious when they noticed some treats were going missing.
They eventually caught Clive, who had grown almost twice his original size from all the feasting. Clive was reunited with his owners, but not without a bit of drama.
“I thought he must have been fed, but it looks like he’s been feeding himself quite happily,” Tanya said. “He’s at home now, but I haven’t introduced him to his brothers, George and Leon.
He was inseparable from them before, they were always cuddling and licking each other. I just hope he’s the same now. I’m going to start reintroducing them to each other in one-hour periods.”
Clive’s owners were shocked at how big and fluffy he had become.
“He was probably glad he didn’t have to compete with them to eat for once,” Tanya said. “He has a huge appetite now though. I’ve had to leave him with a big bucket of food, he just won’t stop eating.”
The pet food factory workers were also surprised to find a cat living in their warehouse.
Production supervisor Diane Gaskill had been trying to catch him for weeks. She set up a trap with a trail of kitty treats leading up to a basket suspended over a pressure pad that would cause it to drop, trapping the culprit inside.
Finally, Clive was caught on a Tuesday when the trap was activated.
The workers took him to a vet who scanned his microchip, revealing his owners’ information.
The Irons family couldn’t believe it when they got the call.
Clive may have been a bit smelly when he was caught, but he’s since cleaned up nicely.
And despite his newfound love for gourmet treats, his owners aren’t going to put him on a diet. “We’re not going to put him on a diet though, he’s just a bit rounder but he’s happy,” Tanya said.
It’s safe to say that Clive is one lucky cat, living the life of Riley as a gourmet cat-burglar.
Who knows what other surprises are in store for this adventurous feline? One thing’s for sure – he’s sure to keep his owners on their toes.
