A maritime-loving moggy went sightseeing and was discovered at Greenwich University's campus - 70 miles from home.

The black and white 18-year-old, called Amy, disappeared from her Colchester home on March 18, before arriving at the university campus where she was taken to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home by a member of the public on the same day.

The owners Jacqueline Bramble, 44, and Colin Bramble, 47, believe they lost the elderly cat when she sneaked into a delivery van that was outside their Essex home.

Mrs Bramble said: "We were totally shocked when we received the phone call from Battersea and cannot understand how she managed to get from our home to London in one day. We never imagined when Battersea called that she would be there.

"She’s a very inquisitive girl and we are so relieved to have her home after her big adventure."

The renowned animal charity called Mr and Mrs Bramble using information gathered from a feline microchip the couple had implanted.

Head of cattery for the home Lindsey Quinlan said: "Cats can be very cautious creatures and collars are not always 100 per cent reliable, so for cats like Amy, a microchip is a must. We have thousands of cats who arrive at Battersea every year and only 25 per cent are microchipped.

"It is often obvious they have a loving home that will be missing them, but we have no way of getting them back together without a microchip." 

Though Amy's trip is impressive, it still has nothing on Ladywell's nine-year-old cat Pablo. Last year, News Shopper reported how he was found at a Scottish bank one year after disappearing and 449 miles from home.

Since it was founded in 1860, Battersea Dogs & Cats home has rescued, reunited and re-homed more than 3.1m dogs and cats. Last year the charity cared for almost 10,000 dogs and cats.