Nine cats seized from an elderly woman in Trafford following claims they had been snatched from other families have been given back to her, the RSPCA has said.
Police were called to a house in Stretford earlier this month after receiving dozens of calls saying stolen pets were being kept there.
More than 20 cats were discovered inside – 14 of which were not microchipped to the address.
These were removed by GMP officers and handed into the care of the RSPCA, who confirmed all animals were in good condition and had been well cared for.
Three of the 14 were registered to different addresses and were quickly returned to their homes.
The other 11 were not chipped, and RSPCA bosses released images and descriptions of them in a bid to find their owners.
In less than 24 hours, the animal welfare charity received more than a month’s worth of calls from people hoping to be reunited with their lost pet.
Yet only two cats were successfully identified – a tabby named Sully and a blind female called Kelly – and were returned to their families.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA told the M.E.N the remaining nine felines are believed to belong to the lady who had been caring for them originally.
They added that each of the animals has now been microchipped, and given back to her.
They said: “We are now satisfied that all of the 14 cats with owners have been returned to them.
“Two cats and their owners were happily reunited the week before last. This followed three cats who were microchipped and returned to their owners straight away.
“We believe the remaining nine cats belong to the family who were caring for them and they have now been microchipped and returned to them.”
The charity says the incident is a key example of why pets should be microchipped, and all details kept up-to-date.
The spokeswoman added: “Microchipping your pet gives you the very best chance of being reunited if you are separated for any reason and the RSPCA urges all cat owners to ensure their cats are chipped.”
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