A pet owner received the best Valentine's Day gift she could have asked for this year after she was reunited with her beloved cat who went missing four months earlier.
Geordie the 18-year-old Tom cat vanished from his home in Roker on October 20, 2021, leaving his owner Faye Greenwood and her family devastated.
The 29-year-old said she never gave up hope that she would one day be reunited with Geordie who had been a much-loved member of the family for 15 years.
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And on February 14 her continued hope was finally rewarded when Geordie was found hiding in a bin shed in Killingworth, almost 15 miles away from his home.
Faye said: "I was so happy, relieved and overwhelmed when we got him back and I was trying so hard not to cry.
"He was in a little cat cage when we went to collect him and he gave a little cry when he saw us. Then as soon as he was out of the cage he came straight over to me and buried his head in my chest."
Geordie was located after a Killingworth resident took to Facebook to ask if anyone had lost a cat in the local area, posting a photo of Geordie peering out of the bin shed.
The post was quickly shared to a missing pets group, where it was spotted by Faye who couldn't believe how far her elderly cat had travelled.
With the help of local Facebook group, Gizmo's Legacy 2, which campaigns for cats to be scanned for a chip when injured by a vehicle, Geordie was scanned for a chip and taken to Moorview Referrals in Cramlington.
He was treated for an infected cat bite on his back and Faye was able to be reunited with Geordie on the same day.
Faye added: "For all of the time he was missing, every cat I saw on Facebook or out on the street I hoped it was Geordie, so when I first saw him I was hoping so much that it was him that I wasn't 100% sure.
"But as soon as we got him in the house the dog's reaction confirmed it definitely was him, he was over to him straight away."
It's unknown how Geordie, who has lived in the same home for 15 years, managed to make the journey across the river from Roker to Killingworth.
And although it's out of character for Geordie to venture beyond the garden wall, Faye thinks he may have been spooked by more people visiting the local area during the Festival of Light event which was taking place in Roker Park at the time.
Faye, her family and dog Loki are extremely happy to have Geordie home and he is currently recovering from his venture with regular health checks from the vet.
