We were first made aware of the stray cat in our garden when I spotted a post on the Sevenoaks Mums Facebook page. Until then we had thought he was a local cat that was just being annoying going through the bins. We later found out that the cat was called Ernie and he had jumped into a builders van in Dartford and got out in Sevenoaks. He had been missing for more than 7 months and had turned up in our garden. I got in touch with the owner and sent her some pictures to confirm we had the correct cat and it was definitely him.
Then started the process of trying to gain his trust by feeding him everyday. I asked his owner to drop off his favourite blanket to try and tempt him into a place where we could catch him. Whilst she was here she went into the garden and called his name and surprisingly he came running. After such a long time away it was clear he still recognised his owner and the two were happily reunited. A great end to the story.