People as far away as Mozambique are searching for our cat, Bobby. He went missing just over a month ago so I took to social media in the vain hope of being reunited with him. So far, no such luck. But I didn’t expect his photograph to go global on twitter or to receive so many lovely messages of hope from international crazy cat lovers. 

Amongst the 87 re-tweeters were American @MissyKitty, who wants to honour God and all the animals of the world. There was @Nhingi66 from Finland – he's on a mission to help any lost pet, anywhere in the galaxy. And Murphy, Brazil’s #ambassacat, who took the time to share my plea with all his fans in Sao Paulo. 

Others included @thurvald who not only loves kittens but is an avid Dr Who fan, along with @BonnieDaWestie, a very special doggy guardian angel, looking out for felines from heaven. It’s bonkers. Bobby’s mugshot – or mogshot - has been viewed in Japan, Australia, France, South Africa and India. I hope he remembered to pack his passport. 

Chances are though, after four weeks, he’s probably not lost. If he’s gone up to the purrrrly gates, then I hope his transition was quick with no time to get frightened. The mind goes mad thinking of the options. I’ve imagined everything from him being accidentally locked in a garden shed and living off condensation and moths, to being slung in the back of a van by a group of really nasty men. I’m hoping that he just got a bit bored, went for a wander and found a lovely old lady who’s spoiling him with premium cuts from the fishmongers. Ideally, the two would be inseparable and regularly enjoy dozing off in front of the hearth together as the nights draw in. Pretty unlikely. 

We had a false alarm last week following reports of a very skinny black and white scrag end meowing by someone’s back door in the next village. We immediately put the cat box in the car and drove round to shake the biscuit tin. But it wasn’t him. Some neighbours thought it was probably just Willis chancing his arm for a second supper. 

I wondered if Bobby’s brother, Noah, was in the slightest bit fussed about his sibling going AWOL, but I think not. Particularly as for the first week we were still putting down two breakfasts, just in case. On the upside though, we’ve only had one dead mouse in the house since August. This either means that Bobby was the main killer or Noah’s lost his appetite for feathers and fur.  

He’s microchipped, so if you’ve been kind enough to be hosting him, he could easily be checked at the vets. Other clues that Bobby’s in your home would be a noticeable increase in voles or frogs in the kitchen. He’s neutered, so if you know what you’re looking for, that could be a pointer too. But beware, if he’s settled in, his flea dosage runs out this Friday.