A West Lothian family who offered a £500 reward for their missing cat were overjoyed to find it living in their neighbour's shed.
Bluebell went missing in the West Calder area six weeks ago, and the Copland family were starting to give up hope.
Their mission to find the Persian Blue moggy gathered the support of the local community, with hundreds of people helping search for the family's pet.
READ MORE - Historic Edinburgh brewery announces sad closure due to 'financial difficulties'
In desperation, the family even offered the cash reward for any information on the cat, before it was found in the neighbour's garden shed.
Steven Copland, from Addiewell, couldn't express his relief when his sister's family cat was eventually found.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Mr Copland, said: “Everyone in the family is delighted the cat has been found and returned to us.
“We are absolutely overjoyed and we still can’t really believe it”
He admitted that they were starting to lose “all hope in finding her”.
The missing cat was eventually found by members of the local community, hiding in a shed about four gardens away from the owner's house.
The cat, who had been in the family for eight years, was very skinny and cold but happy to be home.
Mr Copland added “Most of the family were in their own homes when Bluebell was found but phone calls were made to alert us the cat had been found.
“We all could not believe the cat was right under our nose so close to home.
“I honestly thought a fox had maybe got hold of her."
The post announcing Bluebell's return in the Lost Pets in Edinburgh Facebook page, received over 300 reactions and around 50 comments.
Mr Copland explained: “We couldn't believe the amount of people in the village and social media that were all looking for Bluebell.
“It was amazing the amount of people that we didn't even know sharing about her being lost, Goes to show the power of social media.
“We can not thank everyone enough for their continued support in the six weeks the cat was missing.
Bluebell will rejoin the family alongside two dogs and a parrot who were “very excited” to see their feline friend return.
Mr Copland added: “The family have taken extra steps including putting cameras up to keep an eye on Bluebell.
“We would not want something like this to happen again."
