Beaconsfield owner reunited with beloved cat missing for 11 months

An incredible 328 days after he managed to escape a cat carrier on the way into a North Qld vet, this ginger ninja has been reunited with his owner.

Beaconsfield resident Nikki Robertson is reunited with her furbaby Ren after he went missing for 11 months. Pictures: Supplied by Nikki Robertson

Three hundred and twenty-eight days.

That is how long Beaconsfield resident Nikki Robertson prayed for her little ginger love Ren to come home after he made a desperate escape during a trip to the vet.

She never gave up hope.

And neither did her community, constantly tagging the heartbroken but hopeful animal lover in anything about an orange cat in Mackay.

Ren came into her life in late 2020 as about a one-and-a-half-year-old stray that just never left.

“I had a feeling he might have been abandoned … I searched for the owners myself,” she said.

But no one came forward and all the rescue groups were full, “so I took him in.”

On July 10, 2024 during a trip to the Northern Beaches vet as they were just metres from the door he forced his way out of the cat carrier.

“It happened too quick and he broke out of the cage and went straight down the drain across the road,” Ms Robertson said.

She immediately tried searching for him, but the hours stretched into days, then weeks, and then months.

“As the time went on because it was just so cold … I was just heartbroken for him because he’d already had a rough time being a stray before I took him in,” she said.

Beaconsfield resident Nikki Robertson is reunited with her furbaby Ren after he went missing for 11 months. Pictures: Supplied by Nikki Robertson

“That’s why I felt I couldn’t give up.”

Ms Robertson praised the team from Mackay Pet Rescue saying, “They’ve been an amazing support as well the whole time”, even helping her with countless searches, stake-outs, setting traps, flyers, and keeping a lookout for anything about a ginger cat.

“We set up cameras … around the vet … but there was just no sign of him,” she said.

“I would have gone out there thousands of times, driven, walked and called … with food.”

She also peppered everywhere she could with a flyer, made by the Mackay Pet Rescue crew.

And through her search another missing ginger cat was reunited with its owner.

Ms Robertson also looked at countless photos of sighted and found orange cats posted online or sent to her. Sometimes she said she could tell straight away if it was her Ren because of the unique little freckles on his nose.

“I always had a strong gut feeling he was out there somewhere … that’s also why I never gave up looking,” she said.

Ren disappeared in July 2024 after he ran away just metres from the vet. Pictures: Supplied by Nikki Robertson

Then on June 3, 2025, while on a break from work Ms Robertson said had multiple messages and missed calls about a ginger cat at the pound believed to be Ren.

“They confirmed it was him. I burst into tears. It was just such a relief,” she said.

“To know that he was safe because that was the worst, just not knowing what happened to him.”

They were reunited that day and Ms Robertson said Ren had again made himself at home like he’d never left.

“As soon as he was home, he’s just been so content,” she said.

She said she was so grateful to everyone’s help for keeping her posts alive on social media “to make sure it didn’t fade into the background”, always reaching out and keeping a lookout for her Ren.

Ms Robertson said this also highlighted the importance of making sure pets were microchipped and that the information was up to date.

“They deserve they deserve for you to keep looking because they don’t forget and they give nothing but unconditional love,” she said.

Originally published as Beaconsfield owner reunited with beloved cat missing for 11 months