A postman has delighted an elderly couple by reuniting them with their lost 17-year-old cat.

Romney Summers and her husband David, 75, adopted their tabby Cassie 13 years ago.

Now about 86 in human years, the beloved moggie suffers from deafness and severe arthritis.

Mrs Summers said: “I was volunteering for the RSPCA when Cassie came to our centre in a terrible state. She was there about four months and no-one chose her to give her a home. It looked like she would be put to sleep, so I decided to take her on. She’s been a lovely pet for many years.”

But last week, the couple were devastated when Cassie went missing from their Medina Avenue home - sparking a huge search.

Mrs Summers, 73, said: “I went to put the bins out at about 11.30pm on Monday. Normally Cassie’s an indoor cat, but for some reason decided to follow me that night. I didn’t see her at the time because it was dark.

“I couldn’t believe it when I opened the door and saw him holding her."

“Desperately trying to find her, we looked through CCTV footage and saw that after I shut the door, Cassie came and sat in the doorway. Then a fox came over and stared at Cassie for ages, and she walked off after him. She’s so old she couldn’t do anything if it had gone for her. It was frightening - a fox came along, and Cassie walked off and disappeared.”

On Thursday morning, postman Simon Parker came to deliver a parcel - when a distressed Mrs Summers explained what had happened. “He said he was very sorry, and would keep an eye out,” said Mrs Summers.

But as he continued his round, Mr Parker soon spied a cat in a front garden just a street away that fitted Cassie’s description.

Rushing to double-check a ‘missing’ poster, he saw he was right and quickly scooped up the frail animal.

“He gently carried her all the way back to us,” said Mrs Summers. “I couldn’t believe it when I opened the door and saw him holding her. It was really kind of him. It was such a relief to have a lovely ending, thanks to our very observant postman.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Every day we receive reports of our people going above and beyond in the communities they serve.

“Simon’s help in reuniting Mrs Summers with her cat, Cassie, is yet another example of this. We are proud of the work our people do in the community, which goes far beyond delivering mail and parcels.”

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