A NORTH Ayrshire charity has shared an important message for all cat owners - after one intrepid feline was found 10 miles away from its home.

North Ayrshire Cats Protection says it wants to highlight the importance of having your feline microchipped - just in case they go missing.

The organisation says sometimes missing pet cases are not as straightforward as you may think.

They shared images on social media of two furry friends who were recently reunited with their very happy families.

The two cats were able to be returned home largely because they were both microchipped.

One had found its way to Stevenston, some 10 miles from its home in Dundonald in South Ayrshire.

A charity spokesperson said: "We are hearing more and more about cats that are reported to us a possible strays.

"Some do end up needing to come into our care when we have space for them as we aren't able to trace their previous owners, despite our best efforts.

"For others we manage to locate owners using photo publicity, paper collars and leaflet drops, all of which can be time consuming.

"If a cat is able to be scanned and a microchip is found, we can often contact the owner within minutes of a database check."

The charity also says owners need to be aware that keeping microchip registration up to date is equally important.

The spokesperson added: "If the microchip registration details are out of date, we have to do some detective work, and can sometimes then locate an owner, sometimes not.

"If you are reading this and your cat isn't microchipped, please think about getting this done for your pet at the first opportunity.

"If your cat is microchipped but you have since moved, or changed your phone number or email address, please be sure to update the registration details.

"Microchipping and keeping the registration up to date is not yet a legal requirement for cats in Scotland, but it does give great peace of mind for owners. Why wait?"