A STRAY cat that sneaked out of a window and went on the run in Swindon after being rescued has been found after a year.

Jestro the black and white moggy had been taken in off the streets of Gloucester and rehomed by Donna Perry.

But within days of finding a new family he went missing, sparking months of searching by his dedicated friend.

Two weeks ago she got the message she had been waiting for. Jestro had been found.

She first rescued him after feeding him for a year. She got him healthy, vaccinated him and had him neutered. But after she discovered he had the feline immunodeficiency virus she became concerned about her own cats and decided it would probably be best if he was rehomed.

Having been told the RSPCA would put him to sleep and the Cats Protection League would find it difficult to home him, she contacted New Start Cat Rescue and was put in touch with a couple in Haydon Wick. In early March last year he went to live with his new family.

But the next day, struggling with pangs of regret at handing him over, she phoned them with the intention of asking if she could have him back, only to be told the slipper feline had slid out of a window.

“I then spent a year thinking I never should have given him away in the first place.”

Determined not to give up on him Donna started searching in Swindon and after Jestro’s story appeared in the Adver she found an army of willing helpers.

“So many locals searched for him. People were amazing,” she said. “I had hundreds of phone calls from the community.”

Donna drove over from Gloucester regularly to put up posters and search for the cat. Then about two weeks ago on a lost and found group a woman posted a picture of a cat that bore his exact markings. She wanted to know who he belonged to.

An admin contacted Donna and the two woman hatched a plan to catch him. Nine nights later he was finally in the trap.

“I thought he was never going to go in,” she said. In fact she had been researching alternative methods of catch feral cats and had bought a large net.

Donna drove straight to Swindon to collect him. Jestro, having spent most of his short life as a stray was wary, but she thought he recognised her.

Back in Gloucester he gradually began to relax.

“He’s home and he’s staying here,” Donna said. “He’s not used to the heat so I have to put him next to the window where it’s cooler, but the safety latch is on.”

Since he went on the run last year she has sought advice on his condition from a vet and was told that because he was not aggressive it is unlikely her other cats would be infected.

Now she is concentrating on getting him healthy and adjusted to life as a cosseted indoor cat. She is also using her new-found knowledge to volunteer for a cat rescue charity.

Said Donna: “There are so many animals that are lost in Swindon. I have had some lovely comments from people who have said it just inspires them not to give up.”