The purr-fect reunion as King's Lynn cat is back at home

Cats know many things: how to catch mice, what the sound of the can opener means, and when it's time to crash out on their owners laps of an evening.

Researchers say that our feline friends don't always recognise their owners voices – an ability that's well known in dogs.

But try telling that to Frank, whose amazing voice recognition skills saw him reunited with his North Wootton owners after almost a week apart.

The white and tabby cat became stuck in a neighbouring garage after going missing from his home last Wednesday.

And it wasn't until his owner Sharon Smalls was out delivering leaflets with her son Connor for his safe return, that Frank decided to make his whereabouts known.

Mrs Smalls, who only picked Frank up from a RSPCA rescue centre just before Christmas, said: "We were out delivering leaflets. I was talking to my son when we suddenly heard this frantic meowing coming from the garage.

"When we called Frank's name, his meowing got louder and it soon became apparent that he'd somehow managed to get himself locked in the garage.

"I just stood there in disbelief and cried when the garage was opened. I just think to myself had my son not been with me and we hadn't been talking then he might still be in there now.

"He was only literally 50 metres away from where we live. I can actually see where he was from my back window.

"He was very hungry when we got him home on Tuesday night. He was eating for almost an hour and then ended up planting himself on the bottom of the bed.

"We're just pleased to have him back. He's a young cat and very nosey but gets on so well with our dog, a cross between a cocker spaniel and a labrador.

"Cats are normally so agile, but not Frank. He loves the dog and behaves like one too."

It isn't unusual for cats to get trapped in garages or sheds, but Mrs Smalls admitted that she had been beside herself with worry since Frank disappeared.

"When I came home from work last Wednesday he was there, but when I returned home in the evening he wasn't anywhere to be seen," she said.

"Each day he didn't appear we were getting more and more concerned. We put an appeal on the Woottons Community page and had more than 500 or 600 shares on Facebook.

"Wayne Skipper in the village also contacted me to ask if I wanted some posters doing and so many of my friends and family helped me search for him.

"We'd been out every day hunting high and low. As well as checking all the roadsides, I'd even been across the road in the woods up to my neck in mud looking for him.

After using one of his nine lives and, on the advice of the RSPCA, Frank has now been grounded for two weeks, but he is making the most of being back at home by eating lots of cheddar cheese.

Following the purr-fect reunion, Mrs Smalls ended by thanking the Woottons community for all of their support.

"I would just like to thank every single person who messaged me, shared my post, help us search for Frank and buy me flowers.

"Thank you all so much for everything."