A MOTHER was overjoyed to be reunited with her beloved cat who went missing over ten years ago in Redditch.

Ellouise Eades was heartbroken when her much-loved cat Rufus went missing from her home in Lakeside in 2010.

The mother-of-five searched in vain for Rufus over the years, saying she "never gave up hope" that she would one day be reunited with him.

She continued searching even after moving to Studley by trawling through missing pet pages on Facebook.

Then, in August she stumbled on a photo of her much-missed moggy posted by Redditch woman Elizabeth Weir on ‘Lost and Found Pets in Redditch Area’ , eventually leading to him moving back with Ellouise and her family a few weeks ago.

Redditch Advertiser: Rufus back home with his family.Rufus back home with his family.

Ellouise said she has been moved to tears by the reunion and the kindness of Elizabeth who found and cared for Rufus.

Elizabeth found Rufus on Plymouth Road a couple of years ago and began feeding him, despite Rufus’s tough temperament.

Rufus made a “right nuisance of himself” by scratching and biting, but Elizabeth saw the good in him, Ellouise explained.

Elizabeth invited Ellouise to meet the cat at her Southcrest home after connecting on Facebook.

Elizabeth said: "She came round and I said be careful, it will bite you, I was quite scared. But it was just unbelievable  the way the cat went up to her. She remembered her from ten years ago."

Paying tribute to Elizabeth, Ellouise said: “It’s just something I didn’t expect and it’s all down to Elizabeth, it’s wonderful. I cannot thank her enough.”

The 40-year-old added: “I hope that people see that stray cats could be somebody’s baby that’s gone missing.

“Take a photo, post a photo, try and help as the happiness it has made for me, I didn’t think was possible. It’s been magical.”