A DISTRAUGHT family believed they had laid their beloved cat to rest in the garden.

That is, until the 18-month-old tabby came pussyfooting back into their lives.

There was an anguished 10 days for the Robinsons at Hope-under-Dinmore after their treasured pet, Willow, vanished following a late night prowl in the garden.

They believed their moggie had fallen foul of the savage weather - the Beast from the East coupled with Storm Emma.

Jonny and Cat hunted for the “gorgeous” oriental tabby, who was known to include woodland at Dinmore as part of his territory, and they distributed posters appealing for sightings.

Eventually Jonny spotted the remains of a cat on the busy A49 near their home and feared the worst.

“Jonny was absolutely distraught,” says Cat.

“He found a lump of fur which resembled a cat on the road and took it to the vet.

“It turned out to be definitely a cat and had similar markings to Willow, but it had been run over so many times it was difficult to make out.”

Their children, seven-year-old Josh and Buddy, aged four, watched as Jonny and Cat conducted a touching interment beneath an olive tree in the garden.

“We did our grieving,” says Cat, “though we kept hoping Willow was going to come back.”

Jonny continued to put out food just in case. Then his hopes were raised when he saw it had been eaten.

“Jonny came in holding Willow who was a bag of bones,” Cat explains.

The cat had suffered a broken leg, and was taken straight to the vet.

“We don’t know where Willow went and what stories he could tell.”

Now safely back at home with his family – and housebound for a month – Willow is like the cat that got the cream.

There is only one mystery: the identity of the animal buried in the Robinsons’ garden.

“People have said, whose cat is in your garden,” says Cat, “but we can at least say that some animal had a nice burial.”