Dundowran’s Starkey family reunited with missing cat Squirt after one year

A “distraught” Dundowran family lost hope after their beloved rescue cat went missing. More than a year later they’re celebrating a surprise reunion.

Squirt, with Kane and Billie Starkey, came home after a year away from her family.

After more than 12 months living wild a beloved pet cat has been reunited with her family after being found alive and well.

Dundowran’s Ashten Starkey rescued her cat Squirt, known by her children as Catty, when she was just six weeks old.

It took some time to tame the kitten, but by the time Mrs Starkey welcomed her son, Kane, Squirt was very much a family pet and the two shared a “really special bond”.

But a couple of months after the family moved to an acreage on Dundowran in 2021, Squirt went missing.

After Squirt was missing for a couple of weeks, she began to lose hope, believing the much-loved cat had been bitten by a snake, Mrs Starkey said.

The 11-year-old cat was found at Dundowran Beach more than 12 months after she went missing.

When she broke the news to her kids that she didn’t think their beloved Catty would be coming home, they were “distraught”, she said.

But a year later while the family was relaxing at WetSide Water Park, Mrs Starkey got a call she wasn’t expecting.

A woman had found Squirt living wild in Dundowran Beach.

Squirt has been reunited with her family.

The woman had taken Squirt to a rescue organisation and then to Scarness Vet, where her microchip had been checked.

Mrs Starkey said she was stunned, and she told the vet clinic employee that the 11-year-old cat had been missing for more than a year.

“The kids were going nuts,” she said.

Squirt, pictured with Billie Starkey, came home after a year away from her family.

Squirt had a case of mange and fleas, but since returning home to her family, she’s been regaining her health – and getting plenty of pats.

Mrs Starkey said when she got home, Squirt immediately went and laid on Kane’s bed.

As for the woman who helped reunite Squirt with her family, Mrs Starkey said she was very grateful to her, giving her flowers and chocolates as a thank you.