A one-eyed cat missing from its home for five years has been reunited with its owners.

The black cat, nicknamed One-Eyed Jack, had been sleeping in an air vent at Plymouth College of Further Education for the past 14 months.

He was eventually caught and taken to the nearby Gables Farm Dogs' and Cats' Home who placed an advert in the local paper.

The cat's owners saw the advert on New Year's Eve and went to see if the one-eyed cat was their missing family pet.

Owner Dion Mellor-Senior, 20, said the family had searched for Jack after his disappearance but eventually gave up hope of seeing him again.

"We hadn't seen him for over five years, so the chances of us seeing an advert and saying: 'That's our cat' were fairly slim. We didn't think it could be our cat but when we saw him it was exactly the same one," he said.

"It was quite an emotional reunion. He was really affectionate and friendly. It is really nice to have him back."

Story filed: 15:50 Monday 5th January 2004