Stephanie Barstow bought Duke, a Bengal, in 2015 but he vanished in January 2017. After eight months, she gave up hope of finding him.
So the executive assistant, 35, was “absolutely shocked” four days before Christmas when a vet arrived and told her the microchipped pet had been discovered in a factory near her house in Corby, Northants.
Stephanie said when she heard the news “I couldn’t believe it…I completely broke down”.
She had bought Duke and his brother Nero when they were six weeks old after having her first child.
She said: “I remember he had a little bit of a fight with Nero and I knew something was not right.”
Since Duke disappeared, Stephanie has got a dog and has had another child so has now rehomed him. She explained: “I was really worried that if he came home he might go back to the factory where it was no longer safe for him.
“It was a very difficult decision but I think it was the best one for Duke.”
