A family who appealed for help to find their missing cat Eddie have laid him to rest after he was hit by a car.

Joanna Gorringe and her family, who recently moved to Mutford from Kessingland, awoke on December 22 to find their cat flap was broken and Eddie had disappeared.

Desperate for him to return home safely, they left food outside their old house, posted letters through hundreds of doors, contacted local vets and newsagents and posted on Facebook, Twitter and missing pet websites. However following a story in the Beccles and Bungay Journal on January 9, Eddie’s body was found on the A146 after being hit by a car.

Miss Gorringe and her four children would like to thank everyone for their help and support.

She said: “I have him home now, not how I wanted him back but he’s back and buried in the garden close to me.

“The help I received from total strangers in trying to find him and the kind thoughtful comments during my desperate search is something I can never quite find the words to thank people for, it has shown me what compassion there is out there for pet owners who find themselves in such sad circumstances, and now my Eddie has been found - the kindness continues. It feels the right thing to do to now update everyone of this sad outcome.”

Eddie was a two-year-old cross tabby/tortoiseshell and cross Bengal. He was microchipped, which allowed his body to be returned to the family.

Miss Gorringe said: “I would urge all pet owners to get their pets chipped, as this has meant I have been able to get him, bury him and try and get some closure. If he wasn’t chipped he would never have been able to return home to us all.”