Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A 16-year-old Dutch boy has been reunited with his beloved cat that went missing over a year ago on the first day of his internship at a local animal shelter.

Sam Talsma, 16, who lives in the neighbourhood of Witte Paarden in the city of Steenwijk in the Dutch province of Overijssel, had recently been accepted for an internship at the De Kluif animal shelter.

When he walked into the shelter on his first day, one particular cat immediately caught his attention.

The male cat looked exactly like his lost cat Bras even down to a patch of white fur on its front.

Sam’s suspicions were soon confirmed when his father came to the shelter and also said the cat was indeed their long lost Bras.

Shelter staff members said they were amazed at the unlikely coincidence, adding that Bras was brought to them by a woman just a fortnight earlier.

The woman and some neighbours from the village of Wetering fed the stray cat for a long time, but now that the weather is getting colder, she wanted to give him proper shelter.

According to local media, Sam had given up all hope of ever seeing Bras again, as several previous attempts to find the lost cat had failed.

He said they were used to Bras going away for a few days at a time, but he always came back, until last summer when he disappeared and the family could not find him.

Sam said: “I was there at the right time for my internship, because Bras wasn’t there a few weeks before.

“At first I applied for an internship with a therapist, but that didn’t work out.”

He added: “At the moment there is a lot of demand for pets due to COVID-19 so I thought Bras was definitely adopted by someone else.

“Fortunately, we were all in the right place at the right time.”

Bras has since returned to his familiar home where he is being spoiled with extra snacks and hugs to make up for the lost time.

The cat has also been chipped and given an address collar to make sure he does not go missing again.

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