(UPI) Animal rescuers in Scotland said a cat picked up as a stray was found to be a pet that escaped from her family's home four years earlier.

The Scottish SPCA said a member of the public contacted the organization after finding a cat taking shelter underneath a parked car in Tillicoultry, Fife.

"Bella was found on Tillicoultry High Street soaking wet and sheltering under a car," SPCA Animal Rescue Officer Kelly McGuire said. The member of the public who found her took her home and called our helpline. When I collected Bella, she was quite thin but otherwise appeared to be in good health.

McGuire said she scanned the feline for a microchip and discovered her name was Bella and she had gone missing four years earlier from a home in Dunfermline, Clackmannanshire, about 15 miles from where she was found.

"I was absolutely shocked to hear she had been missing since 2017! How she traveled over 15 miles from Clackmannanshire to Fife is anyone's guess," McGuire said. I returned Bella home to her family, the Caldicotts, and they were over the moon to have her back.

Joel Caldicott said Bella is settling back in at home with his family.

"Our sons are just thrilled to have Bella back. Especially one of the boys as Bella has adopted his room as her own," he said. She was a bit unsure for the first few days but now it's like she's never been away.

Copyright 2021 by United Press International