A missing cat from Manchester has been miraculously reunited with his loving family six years after disappearing.
Handsome black and white cat Raffael – who is better known as Raffi – disappeared from Mustafa Javed’s home in the Old Trafford area of Manchester just before Christmas back in 2016, and after the family searched for their missing four-legged friend for a good few months, they eventually gave up hope that he would ever be found.
But miraculously, earlier this year, the Javeds received a call from the RSPCA out of the blue to say that a cat had been found with matching Raffi’s description, according to BBC Manchester.
Raffi was found when RSPCA inspector Rachel Henderson was called out to see an injured cat that had been discovered in the garden of a property in the Manchester suburb of Longsight, before taking him to RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for treatment an abscess on his back.
After the feline had spent some time recovering, a quick scan of the microchip brought up the Javeds’ details, and the family were contacted to say Raffi had been found.
Manchester cat reunited with its family six years after going missing / Credit: RSPCA
“The children were so excited, it’s all they could talk about. I think the whole family was stunned and shocked as we’d been through the grieving process and had even had a burial for him to try and bring about some sort of closure.
ADVERTISEMENT
“So to hear that he’d been found alive after all this time, it really was a lot to take in.”
With Raffi and the Javeds now having been reunited, and the feline settling back into life at home after six years missing, Mr Javed says he hopes their story shows how important a microchip can be and inspires other families to consider it for their pets if they haven’t already.
RSPCA Inspector Ms Henderson said she was “shocked” to hear how long Raffi had been missing for.
ADVERTISEMENT
She says she was “delighted” to be able to let the Javeds know the good news that their furry family member had been found alive after over half a decade as it had “obviously been an emotional time for them”.
“They’d grieved and understandably moved on in the years since,” Ms Henderson added.
“But seeing the joy on their faces now their much-loved pet is back is something I will remember for a long time.”
Featured Image – RSPCA
Trending
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
Trending
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd February 2023 
