Retford cat reunites with owners as charity celebrates nine years of service

After weeks of no sightings and multiple false alarms, Fluffy was finally trapped by volunteers from Beauty’s Legacy earlier this April.

A resident, who had seen posters about the missing cat along her road, recognised Fluffy as the cat that frequently visited her garden.

Beauty's Legacy is a Nottinghamshire-founded award-winning UK charity, providing a free service locating and reuniting lost, stolen and stray pets.

It was set up by Wellow’s Lisa Dean in 2016 and became a charity in 2021.

Beauty’s Legacy

On April 17, 2016, Beauty, Lisa’s beloved elderly cat, went missing.

Social media networks rallied together in an effort to find her, as she was around 20 years old.

Seven days later, on Sunday, April 24, 2016, Beauty was found.

Unfortunately, she passed away in her owner’s arms that same day.

In addition to leaving behind precious memories, Beauty also left a lasting legacy, as on April 25, 2016, Lisa started a Facebook group in her memory.

Nine years later, the charity has located and reunited hundreds of animals and pets, including horses, cats, dogs, and birds.

Fluffy is found

As part of the search for Fluffy, Beauty's Legacy set up a camera at a Retford property on Friday, April 11, along with a large pile of food, and that night, Fluffy was visible on camera.

Other cats visited as well, but Fluffy finally appeared at 3.45am, after they had all left.

Another camera was set up on Saturday morning (April 12) further down the garden, near a disused greenhouse with some food.

Sure enough, clever Fluffy appeared almost instantly and ate it.

The trap was left unset overnight, and Fluffy visited several times, becoming desensitised and braver as she grew hungrier, making sure she was first in line.

Then on Sunday, April 13, the trap was set in the greenhouse at 6.30pm and by 6.50pm, Fluffy had been captured.

Lisa said: “Fluffy seemed thrilled to be home, purring and enjoying cuddles.

“I was able to scan her microchip, and she even relished the affection. Other than being a little thin, she appears to be in good health.”

Fluffy underwent a veterinary check-up and was reunited with her owners.

Lisa expressed her heartfelt gratitude to residents Nicole and Mike for alerting them and allowing volunteers to trap Fluffy in their garden.

She explained that without the help of vigilant members of the public, they would not be able to reunite as many animals as they do.

She added: “Thank you to all the volunteers who have put up posters and distributed leaflets, to everyone who has shared on Facebook, and especially to the family for trusting us to help bring their baby home.

“Please, if you come across any posters, kindly remove them and dispose of them responsibly.

“We rely entirely on donations to fund our efforts, and the costs for campaigns like Fluffy's, including fuel, printing, trapping food, and equipment, can add up to hundreds of pounds. Thank you for your support.”

How to support the charity

You can donate via PayPal at [email protected] or make a bank transfer to the following account:

• Account Number: 53792468
• Sort Code: 309089
• Account Name: Beauty's Legacy (Lloyds Business Account)

See more at www.facebook.com/Beautyslegacypage and www.beautyslegacy.co.uk/.