Billy the Meezer is finally back in his Liverpool home seven years after he vanished.

When he went missing in 2004, his owner, Carol Rogers, did everything she could to find him. She put up flyers, contacted local vets and offered a 250 reward. But no luck.

Until last week.

A vet contacted her to let her know that he’d been found by a woman who noticed that he had a microchip implanted.

“It was just lovely – it was like he’d never been away,” said Rogers.

The woman who found him cares for and re-homes stray cats. When she noticed he had a chip, she took him to the vet to be scanned.

At first, Rogers was confused when the vet called.

“I’m thinking ‘Billy, Billy, Billy – who’s Billy?’ I said I haven’t got an animal called Billy. I’ve got three other animals, but they’re not called Billy.”

The vet explained to her that it was the Billy she’d lost seven years ago.

Rogers said, “I rang my husband at work – he works until 11 o’clock at night – and I said ‘Billy’s back.’ And he said ‘Who’s Billy?’ And I said ‘Billy, the cat.’

“My husband couldn’t quite believe it until he came home and saw him – it was lovely.”

Billy’s not saying where he’s been, but Rogers is convinced he was living with someone due to his good health.

[SOURCE: BBC Mobile]