A lost Bengal cat thought to have been stolen was found living in a she shed three weeks later.

Ashley Whitcombe’s cat Saffi originally escaped the family home in Maybush on October 3, but they were finally reunited with the Bengal after their neighbour Alison Scanlon found the pet.

Alison said: “I went into my shed one day and something shot across my shed, I thought it was a rat.

“I was looking for it for ages, but after about three days, I heard a meow and the cat walked out of the shed.”

Ashley Whitcombe's cat Saffy in a picture posted when she was reported missing.Ashley Whitcombe's cat Saffy in a picture posted when she was reported missing. (Image: Ashley Whitcombe) Alison often gets one of her neighbour’s cats coming into her garden, so she thought it was normal to get a visitor from a furry friend.

“But then my daughter saw it,” Alison said.

“She turned to me and told me it was a Bengal, and she said it was worth a lot of money!”

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Alison messaged her neighbours to double check it was not their cat, then after that, she scoured Facebook just in case someone had posted about a lost pet.

Just as she was about to give up, she saw the post from the cat’s owner Ashley, and within three minutes of texting them, they were there to take Saffi home.

Ashley Whitcombe's cat Saffy resting on his shoulder after being found and taken home safely.Ashley Whitcombe's cat Saffy resting on his shoulder after being found and taken home safely. (Image: Ashley Whitcombe) Ashley said: “Saffi is safe, she’s well and she’s in perfect condition, which we’re so grateful for because she ended up with a lovely family.

“We’ve been round there and given them flowers, and they’ve adopted a young boy so we’ve given him some cash to get himself something with. They are a lovely, lovely family.”

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Before getting the message from Alison, the last time Saffi had been believed to have been sighted was October 4, when the Bengal was seen in Shirley.

Ashley had only recently adopted the three-year-old cat before it escaped.

Saffi is known to be vocal, which is expected from Bengal cats, and loves having conversations with Ashley’s family.