My cat and house game

REUNITED . . . Julie tracked down missing Tinkerbell

A PET lover from Shaw turned into a super sleuth in a bid to track down an opportunist catnapper.

Devastated Julie Johnson, of Gordon Street, handed out over 2,000 leaflets and suffered sleepless nights when beloved moggie Tinkerbell was snatched from her back yard.

She even caught the culprit on CCTV. Julie collared what she thought was the crook, who then arranged a mysterious drop-off to reunite pet and owner.

The drama started when the six-year-old Siamese escaped into the back yard.

Julie (52) said: “I watched our CCTV footage back and saw her jump over the wall, then I saw a man chase her to the side as she tried to run back. He grabbed her and walked off.

“I was heartbroken and in shock. I walked all around the local streets knocking on doors and delivering leaflets thinking I’d never see her again.”

Days later Julie was driving along a near-by street when she saw a man who bore a resemblance to the feline robber. Acting on impulse she pulled over the car and quizzed him whether he had seen a cat.

She added: “He said he had seen it in a garden but that it had run off, then that it might come back within the hour once the coast was clear.”

Four hours later, Julie received a call from an elderly woman saying the cat had been dumped in her garden.

“I’m just so happy to have her back. “I’m glad I followed my instincts,” said Julie.