BARLEY the cat had just moved into his new home when he decided to go for a very long walk - in fact he went on a 15month long walk.Owner Margaret Foster had given up hope of ever seeing the 12-year-old Balinese cat again after he disappeared from his Kesgrave home on May 2005.

BARLEY the cat had just moved into his new home when he decided to go for a very long walk - in fact he went on a 15month long walk.

Owner Margaret Foster had given up hope of ever seeing the 12-year-old Balinese cat again after he disappeared from his Kesgrave home on May 2005.

But she was stunned earlier this month when her daughter contacted her to say that Barley had finally been found safe and well.

Ms Foster had just moved in to her home in Penryn Close when Barley went missing.

She said: “We had been in the new house for less than a week and while I was a bit worried about letting him out I didn't want to keep him shut up all day and just thought I would keep an eye on him.

“But after an hour or two I started to get concerned and as time went on further I knew he had disappeared.”

The wandering feline had been a companion for Ms Foster since he was eight weeks old and had never gone missing before.

She contacted nearby vets, the Cats Protection League and sent out search parties to try to track him down.

She said: “Because he is a pedigree cat he is quite distinctive and has fluffy cream hair and blue eyes.

“There had been talk of him being spotted on Rushmere Heath so for a while I kept going there to search for him.

“But as the time passed I guess I just gave up on the idea I would ever see him again.”

So it was of some surprise when her daughter Claire contacted her on August 16 this year to say Barley had been spotted in her old neighbourhood in Grange Farm.

She added: “My daughter had bumped into an old school friend who asked if she had lost a cat. Claire couldn't believe it when she heard the description and asked her friend to contact her as soon as she saw it again.

“I was over the moon to see Barley again but was really knocked for six. It was really shocking to see the cat I never thought I would see again.

“And the funniest thing about it is that Barley is just acting like he has never been away. Sometimes I think it has all been a dream.”

N Can you shed any light on Barley's whereabouts for the last 15 months? Contact The Evening Star news desk on 01473 324788.