AN appeal was made to Free Press readers this week to help find a missing young cat which has twice scrambled up a chimney in its owner’s house and disappeared.

But the mottled tortoiseshell cat need not be returned to her owner because she has now been gifted to the person who found her after the first escapade.

Support worker Neil Jones, who lives in Dugdale Street, Minehead, took in the cat when she appeared as a stray, and with the help of charity Cats Protection found her owner living about half a mile away.

The cat, which Neil had named ‘MC’, was reunited with the family – only for her to again disappear up the chimney.

Now, Neil has been told that he can keep MC if she turns up again.

Neil told the Free Press: “She is less than a year old and when we first saw her she was really timid and frightened and we had to build up her confidence.

“We fed her up because she was really thin and took her to a vet who checked her out and made sure she was ok.

“She was not chipped but when Cats Protection put it on social media her owner came along and claimed her. But she was only back home not more than 20 minutes when she ran away again up the chimney.”

Neil has proven to be a magnet for stray moggies because he already has Marmalade, a five-year-old ginger cat who moved in when he used to work in York and came back to live with him in Minehead.

And shortly before MC turned up, an elderly brown cat, aged about 15 years, appeared at his home after being missing for about six months.

This time, the cat was chipped and Neil was able to return him to his owner, who lived near Williton.

Anybody who finds MC is asked to call Neil on 07078 45609392.