Sampson goes 500 miles - and is found a year later

THE BBC love their cat stories.

This time a missing cat was found almost 500 miles away from his Scottish home, more than a year after he went missing.

Sampson was handed in to a vet centre in Plymouth, Devon, 478 miles away from Penicuik in Midlothian.

The cat, who had been thought to be a stray in Plymouth, was identified by a micro-chip, and has been reunited with owner Linda Jansen.

Ms Jansen said: "Forget the Proclaimers, my cat really did walk 500 miles."

She said: "I have no idea how he travelled so far. He may have been trying to get home but was walking in the wrong direction."

Ms Jansen and her two daughters Kirsten, 12, and Lauren, 16, first rescued Sampson from a cat sanctuary in the Borders.

She said: "A lot of people knew him. He was such a character and really was the man of the house, it was so strange when he went missing and we couldn't find him."

She had given up hope of seeing her the cat again and even crossed his name off at his vet.

Then she received a call from the Woodlands Veterinary Surgery in the Devon town.

She said: "I couldn't sleep at all after I got the call. I had given up on seeing him again. The odd thing is that he is a very bad traveller, he always gets car sick when he travels so I can't imagine him lasting on a long road trip like that."

Because of the distances involved Ms Jansen was unsure how to bring Sampson home and approached Edinburgh-based Eagle Couriers to find out about shipping charges.

After hearing the full story the firm then offered to transport the cat for free.

Director Fiona Deas said: "His is one of the most amazing pet stories I have ever heard. I don't suppose we'll ever find out how the animal ended up on the south coast of England, but we can make sure it gets home safely.

"As an animal lover myself I can't even begin to imagine the kind of shock and elation the owner must be feeling at the moment."

Casper the Commuter Cat

Another purrfectly brilliant story here off the BBC website.

A cat has become such a well-known user of a Devon bus service that its drivers know where to let him off.

Casper has been queuing with other passengers to get the number three service from his home in Plymouth for months, bus company First said.

It added that he often sat in the queue and then quietly padded on board and curled up on a seat for the ride.

Casper's owner Susan Finden, 55, who picked him from a rescue home in 2002, said he had always been a free spirit.

Mrs Finden said she named her pet after Casper the Friendly Ghost, as he has a habit of wandering off.

Ah bless!

Cat round-up: this is highly addictive

I've found this really addictive game.

It reminds me of trying to get Charlie to come in of an evening and I end up chasing him all around the garden.

You might not wanna try this at work though - you won't get much done!

Hugo the cat saves a man from burning house

I READ this cracking story on the BBC website about a pet cat who saved a man from his burning home.

Hugo, a grey and white moggy, came to his neighbour Andrew Williams' rescue, when a fire broke out at his bungalow in Bracknell in Berkshire.

Andrew, who was asleep at the time, awoke in the smoke filled house to Hugo clawing at the father-of two's face.

Hugo came through a cat-flap to wake up Andrew.

Rescuers said that the fire could have killed him if he had not been awoken by Hugo.

Hugo and his brother Harvey are regular visitors to the cat lover's home.

A spokesman for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue said: "We are delighted that this very fire-aware cat was able to alert the family on this occasion.

"This just highlights the importance of having working smoke detectors inside your home."

What a hero Hugo was!