Her owners described it as a miracle that Bibby, the black cat, had survived so long alone.

“He’s a shy little soul, so he wouldn’t come near you if he was scared,” said owner Grace Kelly.

“It was heartbreaking to think about her being cold, hungry and terrified, but we were unwavering in our efforts to reunite with her.”

A concerned islander in Perelle reported seeing a mysterious black cat in a wildlife camera, eating hedgehog food and remains of birdseed. She contacted Sue Vidamour, who previously ran Guernsey Animal Aid, who was able to catch Bibby and then track down her astonished owners via the cat’s microchip.

The Kelly family were moving from a house in Perelle to Vale in January 2022 when Bibby disappeared after becoming scared while packing up the house.

“We vividly remember that there was a terrible storm the night we moved in, but we thought she would take shelter nearby and return in the next few days,” said Grace Kelly, who owns three cats between herself and her mother Sarah.

In addition to Bibby, there are Button and Toulouse, Bibby’s mother and uncle.

‘Bibby was the only baby to survive her litter. We’ve always joked that he’s a little quirky, and the vet said his injuries from an attack by another cat indicated he lacked the usual survival instincts.

In the days, weeks and months after Bibby disappeared, the Kellys spent hours in Perelle searching lanes, fields and outbuildings.

“We walked for miles in the dead of winter, shaking from dreams and shouting for our daughter – some tears were shed in the process,” Miss Kelly said.

‘We sat outside the old house with her litter tray, knocked on doors throughout the parish and beyond, handing out leaflets, advertised online, on the radio and in the press, and went to investigate every sighting of a possible Bibby .

‘We got to know all the black cats on the west coast of Guernsey.

“There was a level of acceptance in the last year or two that we might never see her again or find out what happened, but we always hoped she would find her way back by some miracle.”

In the end, Bibby was found just 750 meters from her former home.

Miss Kelly said reuniting with her beloved cat had been a lesson in perseverance.

‘If you have a lost cat, don’t lose hope, keep searching and spreading the word. Make sure your cats are chipped and keep their details up to date,” he said.

‘And to all readers, if you see a cat hanging around your property, don’t chase it away and report it. It could be a lost cat waiting for someone to help it.

The Guernsey Lost and Found Pets (formerly Guernsey Animal Aid) page can be found on Facebook.

Cats began being microchipped in the 1990s.

A small microchip is inserted under the pet’s skin, giving the animal its own unique code.

The microchip can be scanned and compared to the owner’s contact details, which are stored in a national database, such as PetLog.

Microchipping is only effective if details are kept up to date, such as when owners move house or change their phone number.

In the UK, cat owners must now ensure their pets are microchipped before they turn 20 weeks old.

But in Guernsey the use of microchips is strongly recommended.

The GSPCA offers microchipping for £4.99 at the shelter. The charity has previously said that four in five deceased cats should have a microchip to allow them to contact the owner.