Owner of runaway cat Ronnie is overwhelmed by support

When Ronnie disappeared for three days, the neighbourhood came to her aid.

Her two cats, 14-year-olds Ronnie and Reggie, are rescue animals. Mrs Laine and her husband Colin say that their home has become a sanctuary for animals that need a home.

‘We are devoted to our animals, we adore them with everything we have,’ she said.

‘None of our animals have ever run away, so we were very surprised when one evening, Ronnie did not return at the time he usually does. I immediately knew something was wrong.

‘In the morning, he still was not home for his meal, which is unheard of for this cat. I felt sick as I was certain something had happened to him.’

The couple began to organise flyers and contact Animal Aid and GSPCA to appeal to anyone who knew where Ronnie might be. They said the Guernsey Cat Community group on Facebook had also been particularly helpful and kind.

Despite public support and assistance from neighbours, three days passed without any sign of Ronnie.

‘They called up every day and everyone had been searching around the local area to find him,’ she said.

‘By the Saturday morning, I had given up and was crying in the garden. Reggie was pining for his brother.’

Then she saw ‘a flash’ of white and grey and Ronnie was back home.

‘As soon as he returned, we got a call from one of the houses down the road.’

Mrs Laine discovered from this call that Ronnie had been trapped in the broom cupboard of a family who had gone on holiday for two weeks.

A young boy feeding the family’s tortoises heard meowing from the cupboard and opened the door. Ronnie bolted out of the house and straight back home.

‘We were overjoyed,’ Mrs Laine said. ‘Our prayers had been answered.

‘If that little boy did not hear him, he would still be there now.

‘This experience has highlighted for me the lovely community that exists in Guernsey, and I wanted to thank everyone who helped us through that time.’