AN extraordinary tale of loss, heartbreak and adventure culminated this week with the tearful reunion of missing cat Ben and his Garsdon owner Nikki White, who now wants him to take pride of place at her forthcoming wedding.

Last week the Gazette reported how Ms White, 45, of Garsdon, near Malmesbury, left her fianc mid way through a dream holiday in South Africa after hearing her beloved cat had gone walkabout back home in Wiltshire.

With the help of her fianc, Finn Spicer, she jetted the 8,000 miles back home having first tackled a 600-mile journey across a desert and coughed up a further £800 on return flights.

But all her efforts were worthwhile on Sunday with the fairytale homecoming of the three-year-old ginger tom.

Ms White, whose wedding is planned for September, said: "I can't explain it but at 3am I suddenly woke up and just knew I had to look out of my window."

She could see into her glass fronted utility room and sitting on the floor was a cat.

At first she thought it was Ben's brother, Bill, but then to her amazement another cat appeared and sat down next to Bill.

"I was so excited I woke my Mum up and ran downstairs screaming and shouting and just couldn't believe that he'd come back," said Ms White.

Her mother Ann, who had been over from Majorca house-sitting while the couple were away, burst into tears on seeing Ben.

After much hugging and purring the happy family finally returned to bed with the two cats sharing the comfort of Ann's duvet.

Ms White rang through the good news to her fianc, who is due to return home from university lecturing in three weeks.

Her news was met with squeals of delight.

"He was just over the moon because he wanted Bill and Ben to be at our wedding. Now we'll have to make them the page boys," said Ms White.

"At the very least they'll have to wear bows round their necks hopefully in a colour that doesn't clash with ginger.

"Finn said to me Have you asked Ben where he was?'.

"It is so frustrating that cats can't talk.

"Ben had been missing for 13 days so he's very thin, but otherwise he's OK.

"I have to say we definitely don't consider 13 to be an unlucky number any more."

Before Ben's joyous return Ms White had suffered further heartache after receiving a call from a member of the public in response to her missing cat reward posters and the 100 leaflets she had put through people's doors.

The person told her she thought she had found Ben.

They agreed to meet in a car park in Malmesbury.

Ms White said: "When I saw the cat I said That's Ben' and told the woman I loved her.

"I took him back home but after about half an hour my mum said Are you sure that's Ben?' and we realised it wasn't.

"We took him to the vets and luckily he had been chipped so he was returned to his owner.

"But I felt so bad I'd abducted someone else's cat."

Since Ben went missing Ms White has had Bill microchipped and his wandering ginger brother is in line to follow. Ms White's mother has now returned home to Majorca.