A family had already started mourning their missing cat before people power pulled together to reunite them.

Reported sightings of tabby Mow Mow kept Paul Worrall, 49, and his loved-ones searching for their pet for two months before they started to lose hope.

But then they got word from Jurassic Vets that the ‘bag of bones’ feline had been picked up - skinny but safe.

With no microchip or collar, the practice reached out to its 2,000 Facebook fans, and the five-year-old cat and his grateful owners were together within a matter of hours.

“We had pretty much given up hope - we were already mourning,” said Sidford resident Paul. “He’s a big part of the family. We’re complete again.”

The security officer put out hundreds of posters and heard of numerous sightings, but when they arrived Mow Mow had moved on, or it was the wrong pet.

“We seemed to have a network of helpers,” said Paul. “Someone advised my son to check the Jurassic Vets Facebook page – he was a bag of bones but we could tell straight away it was him.”

Mow Mow normally spends his nights behind the family’s Church Street home.

Paul thinks he must have been chased across the busy road by another cat and could not get back.

Jurassic Vets’ Peter Martin believes Mow Mow subsisted on mice before scavenging when the cold snap hit – he was found going through a compost bin.

“It’s amazing that Mow Mow managed to survive outdoors for more than two months during the bitterly cold weather,” he said. “He’s a very affectionate cat, but also a resilient little fellow.

“It’s really fortunate that the family who found him realised he was not in a good way and called us – he wouldn’t have lasted much longer. With no microchip or collar, we had to think of another way to find his owners.”

With Mow Mow warming up in a kennel and enjoying a badly needed meal, Jurassic Vets reached out on Facebook to identify him.

Paul thanked the practice for taking care of Mow Mow, and a lady called Mrs Dommett for taking him in.