A family has been reunited with their cat more than two years after it went missing.

Little Smudge failed to return home in Hove one day back in September 2012, leaving the Moore family fearing the worst.

However, more than two years later mother-of-two Margaret received a call from her vets to say the cat had been found fit and well.

The 36-year-old said: “I couldn’t believe it when they called. I always held out some hope but it wasn’t looking good.

“It is so good to have him back. He won’t leave my side now.”

The Moore family got Smudge from a family friend when they were living in Newhaven in 2010.

When they moved to Harmsworth Crescent, Hangleton, they decided to get him microchipped – a move they now recommend to all owners.

The Moore family were off on a family camping holiday in September 2012, with Smudge being looked after by a neighbour when he went missing.

She said: “I wasn’t too concerned because he would often disappear for a few days. But as the weeks went by I got more and more worried. I put up posters everywhere and did everything I could.

“He was a fantastic pet and great for my daughter Lily-Anne, who was then four and has sensory processing disorder.

“Smudge was great for her and they loved each other. She was devastated when he went.”

She added: “I held out some hope because if microchipped cats are run over they are usually recovered and the owners are informed.”

But what little hope there was soon began to fade and the family got two more cats when they moved to Portslade.

However, at the end of January her vet got in contact to say a cat, believed to be Smudge, had been found.

He was taken into the care of Lost Cats Brighton, in Valley Road, Mile Oak, and a quick scan of the microchip revealed him to be Smudge.

Ms Moore said: “I just couldn’t believe it. My daughter was absolutely over the moon.

“When she went missing she had a blue collar on and she came back with a pink one with crystals on it.

“She was obviously looked after by someone and they must have thought he was a girl.

“They looked after him very well and he is now on a diet because of his weight.

“But we are just so pleased. He is so affectionate and still remembers us and knows his name.

“I think it shows just how important it is to get your cat microchipped. I don’t think we would have seen him again otherwise.”