A 15-year-old cat who was once a beloved member of staff at a pet shop in Essex has been found 13 years after she disappeared from her post. Tilly the black cat was well-known to shoppers in Great Dunmow until she disappeared in 2012. Despite her popularity in the community, she could not be found until she was recently discovered around 30 miles (50km) away in a garden in Brentwood. A microchip scan linked her to the pet shop's owner, who sadly did not live to see Tilly return, having passed away. Members of his family were unable to take in such an elderly cat. However, this incredible tale - or tail - has a happy ending, as she has been adopted by Jessica Davies, who found her living in her garden, and is said to be settling well in her new home. The cat had initially been mistaken for a stray male and given the name Bobby. After being fed occasionally, she was scanned by a local rescue charity, which revealed her true identity. Tilly's history was then pieced together through a local social media appeal, where former customers recalled the much-loved shop cat. Her movements over the past 13 years remain a mystery, though it is thought she may have travelled by delivery van before ending up far from her original home.