(yes, Garry is a female cat)

A family's been reunited with their long-lost cat ... five years after it went missing.

Lisa Pederson initially believed there'd been a mistake when she received a call from a vet in Porirua informing her their 13-year-old cat, Garry, had been found.

The puss escaped and disappeared after they moved from Westport to the Porirua suburb of Whitby.

They tried all they could to find her, including putting up posters and leaving out blankets, but after about six months they eventually accepted they wouldn't see her again.

Since then they have moved to Masterton, adopted two more cats and had children.

Pederson says she was worried Garry wouldn't remember them - but she's been full of snuggles since she picked her up.

She's encouraging all cat owners to get their pets microchipped and keep their details updated.