Cat Rescued in Portsmouth Reunited After 4 Years Missing
By Animals Correspondent
A dramatic rescue in Portsmouth has ended in a shock reunion after a cat pulled from a tight space was discovered to have been missing for four years.
The RSPCA, firefighters and vets were called to a property on Madeira Road after homeowner Catherine Edwards heard a cat trapped in a narrow gap down the side of her house.
The animal, later identified as 10-year-old Alfie, was wedged around 1.5 metres into a small 10cm space between two brick structures, making rescue extremely difficult.
RSPCA officer Sarah Whatton said the team struggled to reach him and had serious concerns about causing injury while trying to pull him free.
After hours of attempts alongside Hampshire Fire and Rescue, the cat remained stuck, forcing rescuers to rethink their approach. A local vet was brought in to safely sedate Alfie, giving the team a short window to extract him.
RSPCA officer Morgan Ellison said: “It took all three of us to get him out, and somehow he came out unharmed.”
But the biggest surprise came after the rescue — a microchip scan revealed Alfie had been reported missing since 2022.
His owner, Mandy Davis, was stunned to receive the call.
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She explained Alfie disappeared shortly after a house move when he slipped out through a small gap in a window.
“I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see him again,” she said.
To her amazement, Alfie had been found just a short distance from home, two streets away.
After treatment at the vets for matted fur, he was given the all-clear and is now settling back into family life.
RSPCA staff say he is already enjoying being back at home, soaking up attention and purring loudly after his four-year ordeal.
