By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:09 EST, 9 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:54 EST, 9 October 2012 . A family has had an emotional reunion with their cat six years after it left the house. Jo and Ade Haigh had all but given up on their black and white pet, Charlie, who was nine when he left the house in Fareham, Hampshire, in 2006. However, Mrs Haigh spotted the cat when she was out walking and was able to verify that it was Charlie thanks to a microchip that had been fitted to him. Remarkable: Jo Haigh poses with her cat, Charlie, who has been found after going missing six years ago . When he first went missing the family put up 'lost' posters and contacted nearby vets' surgeries, but to no avail. But then Mrs Haigh spotted the family pet and took him to an animal shelter where she works to carry out tests on his microchip. The tiny electronic identification tag confirmed this was her Charlie, who she had cared for since he was seven weeks old. The couple have moved more than two . miles away since Charlie vanished and Mrs Haigh was only back in . Stubbington to view a property for her mother. She said: 'My mum, sister and I were looking at a place close to the house Ade and I lived in when Charlie went missing. Off again? Mrs Haigh says she is scared to let Charlie out of the house in case he runs away again . 'If it wasn’t for the bungalow my mum, sister and I were looking at, we wouldn’t have been around there. 'When we saw this cat on a wall outside a house I was immediately 99.9 per cent sure it was Charlie. 'He was a lot skinnier but came straight over to me and responded to his name. 'We went and spoke to the man who lived there and he told me he had been feeding Charlie for about two and a half years. 'I’m over the moon to have him back. We shed a few tears when the microchip test worked.' Mrs Haigh, a receptionist, says she’s so happy to have Charlie, now 16, back that she’s scared to let him out of the house. She added: 'I was shocked to start with that I had even come across him. 'We had always been left wondering what had happened to him. Since you've been gone: Jo and Ade Haigh have moved house and had twins since the 16-year-old cat went missing in 2006 . 'When he went missing we did all the usual things like going out looking for him, posting leaflets and contacting vets, but there was nothing. 'Charlie had always been quite a friendly cat. When we lived in Stubbington he would often go down to the nearby stables where they would feed him. 'So it’s no surprise he found someone to look after him in the intervening years.' A lot has changed in the household since Charlie disappeared in 2006. Engineer Mr Haigh, 38, and Mrs Haigh now have 13 month old twins, Drew and Daniella. They already had two other cats and two dogs, which Charlie has been reintroduced to after being found last Thursday. Returned: Charlie was identified when Mrs Haigh checked his microchip tag . He is eating well and using his litter tray, but hasn’t met their new cat and dog, Mrs Haigh said. She added: 'Charlie seems quite content and is slowly getting back into life here. 'We haven’t let him out again so far. We will eventually, but I don’t know when I’ll be brave enough. 'He’s got the meow of an older cat now and you can tell he’s grown up into an older boy. 'He’s settling back in and doesn’t seem too fazed by the children.'
Charlie went missing in 2006 after leaving home .
Jo and Ade Haigh had given up search for pet .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:09 EST, 9 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:54 EST, 9 October 2012 . A family has had an emotional reunion with their cat six years after it left the house. Jo and Ade Haigh had all but given up on their black and white pet, Charlie, who was nine when he left the house in Fareham, Hampshire, in 2006. However, Mrs Haigh spotted the cat when she was out walking and was able to verify that it was Charlie thanks to a microchip that had been fitted to him. Remarkable: Jo Haigh poses with her cat, Charlie, who has been found after going missing six years ago . When he first went missing the family put up 'lost' posters and contacted nearby vets' surgeries, but to no avail. But then Mrs Haigh spotted the family pet and took him to an animal shelter where she works to carry out tests on his microchip. The tiny electronic identification tag confirmed this was her Charlie, who she had cared for since he was seven weeks old. The couple have moved more than two . miles away since Charlie vanished and Mrs Haigh was only back in . Stubbington to view a property for her mother. She said: 'My mum, sister and I were looking at a place close to the house Ade and I lived in when Charlie went missing. Off again? Mrs Haigh says she is scared to let Charlie out of the house in case he runs away again . 'If it wasn’t for the bungalow my mum, sister and I were looking at, we wouldn’t have been around there. 'When we saw this cat on a wall outside a house I was immediately 99.9 per cent sure it was Charlie. 'He was a lot skinnier but came straight over to me and responded to his name. 'We went and spoke to the man who lived there and he told me he had been feeding Charlie for about two and a half years. 'I’m over the moon to have him back. We shed a few tears when the microchip test worked.' Mrs Haigh, a receptionist, says she’s so happy to have Charlie, now 16, back that she’s scared to let him out of the house. She added: 'I was shocked to start with that I had even come across him. 'We had always been left wondering what had happened to him. Since you've been gone: Jo and Ade Haigh have moved house and had twins since the 16-year-old cat went missing in 2006 . 'When he went missing we did all the usual things like going out looking for him, posting leaflets and contacting vets, but there was nothing. 'Charlie had always been quite a friendly cat. When we lived in Stubbington he would often go down to the nearby stables where they would feed him. 'So it’s no surprise he found someone to look after him in the intervening years.' A lot has changed in the household since Charlie disappeared in 2006. Engineer Mr Haigh, 38, and Mrs Haigh now have 13 month old twins, Drew and Daniella. They already had two other cats and two dogs, which Charlie has been reintroduced to after being found last Thursday. Returned: Charlie was identified when Mrs Haigh checked his microchip tag . He is eating well and using his litter tray, but hasn’t met their new cat and dog, Mrs Haigh said. She added: 'Charlie seems quite content and is slowly getting back into life here. 'We haven’t let him out again so far. We will eventually, but I don’t know when I’ll be brave enough. 'He’s got the meow of an older cat now and you can tell he’s grown up into an older boy. 'He’s settling back in and doesn’t seem too fazed by the children.'
the house. Jo and Ade Haigh had all but given up the 16-year-old cat went missing in 2006 . 'When