After 12 years of being separated from their family home, a cat has been reunited with its owner. The owner was reportedly in disbelief upon seeing their furry friend again, stating, "It didn't feel real."

After 12 years of being missing from the family home, a cat has been reunited with its owner.

Theo-Will McKenna, 29, reported that his cat, Artie, went missing after the family relocated from Blacon in Chester to Connah's Quay in Flintshire, Wales, in 2012, according to SWNS, the British news service.

Despite spending six months searching for Artie, the family eventually lost hope that their beloved cat would be found.

Recently, Artie the cat was found in a garden near the family's former home in Connah's Quay, having been missing for four days.

"I couldn't take him with me when I moved out, so my mom moved to Connah's Quay with him, my brother, and our other pets. I was in college in the area and would visit once a week."

During a visit at home, McKenna's mother informed him that the cat was missing.

"He hadn't returned in a couple of days, which was unlike him as he always came back every night."

I searched the entire area for him, but found nothing with a bag of treats in hand.

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to McKenna for additional details and comment.

"I’d kept an eye out for him every time I was in the area, and there had been no sign of him."

Six months after the cat went missing, he admitted that he had lost hope and had been keeping an eye out for him every time he was in the area, but there had been no sign of him.

I reached the point where I thought that either, God forbid, something had happened to him, or someone else had taken him in.

The residents of the home where Artie was discovered took him to the vet, who discovered a microchip registered to Theo-Will McKenna's mother, with a contact number for North Clwyd Animal Rescue (NCAR).

McKenna was found through a Facebook post shared by NCAR after they picked up Artie, and a friend recognized the pet.

"It took me a second to recognize him, because he looked so bedraggled and skinny."

McKenna stated that the North Clwyd Animal Rescue reported that the cat appeared in someone's garden near Connah's Quay, where my mom had lived. The cat remained in the garden for four days without leaving.

The veterinarian's office scanned the cat's microchip and discovered that "the chip was still registered" to McKenna's mom at the family's old Blaken address.

When they discovered that my mom no longer lived there, they contacted NCAR and retrieved him from the vet, as stated by McKenna.

The cat underwent medical treatment, including having teeth removed, hyperthyroidism treated, and precancerous lumps removed from his ears.

"My friend sent me a post on Facebook about a person they found, explaining that he'd been stable. It took me a second to recognize him because he looked so disheveled and thin."

"He’s purring up a storm every time I go near him."

He remarked, 'It didn't feel real. I couldn't believe it was him. It had been 12 years since he disappeared when I was 17. I thought no cat could survive that long on the street.'

McKenna took Artie home to his current apartment, where the cat is now getting used to living with McKenna's other cat, SWNS reported.

Although we're still in the trial period, my new cat has been perfectly fine and purrs loudly whenever I approach him. My other cat has been cautious, but we've been using gentle introduction methods to get her accustomed to his scent. It's a gradual process, but I'm determined to keep my new cat with me.

Community kindness is what kept him alive for 12 years, as people likely provided him with food and shelter.

The cat, who is now 16 years old, will need ongoing medical care, with his medicine costing £50 or about $64 U.S. dollars per month, according to SWNS.

An online fundraiser has been launched by McKenna to cover the cat's medical costs.

He wants to spend his twilight years in a place he loves, which will be here, he said.