09 May 2024
It is a tale of two kitties: much-adored family pet Marmite, and brazen black wanderer Bandit. But it took seven months for anyone to realise they were in fact the same cat…
The saga started on October 11 last year, when 13-year-old Marmite decided he had enough of the building works being carried out by his neighbours in Sherwood Avenue, Marshalswick, and escaped through a gap in the fence.
Off he wandered, not coming home that night, leaving his family distraught and thinking the worst.
Catherine Morris, whose role in the story will soon become clear, said: “Being an animal lover myself, this is truly a ghastly thing to go through, not knowing what has happened to him.”
Some distance away in Briar Road lived a family with three elderly cats and a small dog.
One day a black cat appeared on their patio and sat quietly observing the situation, noting that there were many pets but none of them seemed to be threatening.
After many weekly visits, he discovered to his surprise that if he went through a cat flap he found himself in a utility room with leftover food in cat bowls, but also in pouches he could open by scratching.
The Briar Road family – including Catherine – weren’t happy to find pouches of food all over the floor, especially as their pets were regularly fed, but put it down to one of the aging cats having a mad moment.
Then one evening while they were watching TV, in wandered the black cat, as bold as brass, ignoring the hissing and barking from the other animals.
Despite shooing out their furry visitor and calming down the situation, rather than a one-off experience this became a reoccurring event, and they named their unwanted visitor Bandit.
The family were somewhat concerned because he didn’t look like a stray, but clearly needed some love and attention, and contacted their vet who advised capturing him to see if he had a microchip which could be scanned.
Easier said than done. Any attempt to catch Bandit caused him to become aggressive and more agitated, upsetting their own pets who were already distressed by their ad hoc visitor.
But then a friend of the family – familiar with the proverbial cuckoo in their nest – noticed a poster outside Sandringham School raising awareness of missing cat Marmite. This was May 1, almost seven months since he had vanished…
A photo of the poster, which included an email address, was sent to the Briar Road family who immediately got in touch explaining about their regular visits from a mysterious black cat. Was it Marmite?
The owner phoned back straight away, despite being on honeymoon in Amsterdam, and an exchange of photos and videos began, with discussions of the markings on “Bandit” which eventually confirmed his true identity.
Catherine said: “The astonishing thing is that Sherwood Avenue and Briar Road are fairly close together, but for him to be missing for seven months and to survive the winter, well what are the chances?”
Fortunately, Marmite/Bandit returned for a visit that evening, and this time fully prepared, the family used a combination of coaxing, treats, gardening gloves and towels to get him safely into a pet carrier.
“After much patience and a real team effort, we reunited lovely Marmite – who we shall always remember as Bandit – with his very grateful owner, and tears of happiness were shed by all that evening!”
Catherine wondered whether any other people saw Marmite during his long absence from Sherwood Avenue, and helped him get through the winter by feeding him and providing shelter. If you recognise him from our photos, please get in touch by emailing editor@stalbanstimes.co.uk
UPDATE:
Up until Monday morning the furry residents of Briar Road had returned to their.usual calm routine, when suddenly that familiar hissing and crying noise returned.
Catherine said: “I thought ‘oh no not another invasion’. It couldn’t be Marmite as he was tucked up in Sherwood Avenue. Unfortunately, this time, my cats decided to go into battle, so I rushed out to see what was happening.
“I couldn’t believe it when I instantly recognised Marmite, and after speaking to the owner he confirmed that they lost him several days previously.
“Both Robert (the owner) and I have decided to recapture him and start again – any advice on how to tackle this situation would be much appreciated!”
