A FEW months ago, he was found wandering alone and hungry on a rubbish tip.

But now Baloo the Siamese cat is finally back home safe with his owners, thanks in part to The Journal.

Two weeks ago we reported that the six-year-old pet had been taken in by the Waveney branch of the Cats Protection charity, having been discovered scavenging on the landfill site near the A12 at Wangford on October 11.

Unbeknown to volunteers, Baloo had last been seen at his home at Marsh Lane, Carlton Colville, in the middle of August and his disappearance had led to a frantic search by his owner Helen Wood and her children Jade, 15, and Harvey, aged seven.

However, the tale had a happy ending when Miss Wood saw a picture of Baloo in The Journal, which told how the seal point Siamese was being looked after by the charity – and how he had been named 'Elvis' by his foster carer Sue Lanham.

There were tears of happiness as Baloo was reunited his relieved owners and his best friend Alfie, a blue point Siamese.

Miss Wood, 37 and a hairdresser, said she believed Baloo's big adventure might have been prompted by him falling into a bin while looking for bits of chicken to eat, and then being dumped in the landfill site with the rubbish.

'Baloo loves chicken and we think he fell in the bin as he was looking for some chicken pieces. That is my suspicion anyway,' she said. 'It is great to have him back as I had given up all hope of ever seeing him again.

'Since he has been back I have not let him out of my sight.'

Miss Wood has now microchipped Baloo and Alfie to make sure that if they ever wander away from home again, they can easily be identified and returned. She had not previously microchipped them as the cats rarely left their home.

Keith Hargreaves, co-ordinator of the Waveney branch of Cats Protection, said: 'Eight out of 10 cats we receive are not microchipped and so we find it hard to find their owners, which is a tragedy really.'

He was, however, a little doubtful about the theory behind Baloo's trip to the tip. He said: 'I think it would be very rare for a cat to get in a bin and end up on a landfill site.'

l For information on the Waveney branch of Cats Protection call 0845 3714202.