A TWO-year-old cat whose owner thought he was lost forever must have used up all of its nine lives finding its way home alone from Bolton Abbey to Skipton.

Minti went missing on February 17 from his home in Russell Street, Skipton and anxious owner Pamela Lumley put an advert in the Craven Herald, and posters in shop windows, hoping that someone would have found him.

Just over one week later when Mrs Lumley had just about given up all hope of finding her pet alive Minti strolled back into the house via the cat flap.

Mrs Lumley said: "He appeared at midnight on Thursday absolutely shattered and on his own. Obviously I was overjoyed."

Apparently Minti had set off on his adventures in the back of a delivery van.

When the van got to Bolton Abbey Minti, who was distinctive because of his black and white colouring and green collar, jumped from the van and ran away from the driver.

It appears that Minti had such a good nose for home he managed to travel the six miles back to his worried owner, successfully negotiating busy roads and even a railway line.

Mrs Lumley said: "He is no worse off for his adventure. You hear so many stories in the paper of awful things happening to cats.

"I thought someone had been cruel to him I never expected him to be still alive."

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