An emotional reunion has taken place after a family discovered thier missing cat featured in the pages of The Bolton News.

When Jess the cat had been missing for more than two months, her owners had given up all hope of seeing her again.

So they were amazed to spot their beloved puss in the pages of The Bolton News, alive and well.

Jess went missing from home in Hardman Street, Farnworth, in August, two days before Claire Grounds and Lee Alden moved house. They thought they would never her see her again.

But the white and grey moggy had been taken in by Bolton Cat Rescue, after being handed in to a local vets.

An article in The Bolton News about the new charity highlighted “Dolly”, as Jess had been called, as a pet in need of adoption.

Miss Grounds, mother to Paige Grounds, aged seven, Joshua Alden, aged five, and Leon Grounds, aged 20 months, saw the paper and was put in touch with the charity.

An emotional reunion took place on Saturday when Bolton Cat Rescue visited the new family home in Buckley Lane, Farnworth, to return Jess.

Miss Grounds, aged 27, said: “We looked for Jess for weeks then decided someone must have taken her in. It was upsetting because she is part of the family.

“Then I saw her in the paper and I thought ‘that’s my cat’.

“I started crying because I thought I’d never see her again, I was in shock.

“We are so happy she’s home and the charity has been brilliant, we are so grateful.”

Jess is now back with her family and also her own family — two kittens, Smudge and Felix.

Bolton Cat Rescue was launched in September to help deal with the growing number of unwanted cats in Bolton.

Existing charities are struggling to cope with demand for their services as the recession causes more pets to be abandoned.

Emma Hedley, chairman of Bolton Cat Rescue, said: “We are over the moon, it’s rare to reunite missing cats with their owners if they’re not microchipped.

“It’s down to The Bolton News and we are so pleased, it’s been quite emotional.”

To find out more about Bolton Cat Rescue visit boltoncatrescue.co.uk or email boltoncatrescue@ yahoo.co.uk. cherry.thomas@theboltonnews.co.uk