Dinky, Dubai’s most famous cat is settling home in UK after two-month search

The cat ‘with a funny tooth,’ was a gift from a Dubai neighbour, and escaped from his cage on a flight to London

Dinky is now back in Northamptonshire, central England after being missing for two weeks in Dubai. Courtesy Donna Louise Bailey

Dinky, Dubai’s most famous cat, is settling back at home with his UK owners after he disappeared from a flight to Gatwick two months ago.

Photos of Dinky back in Northamptonshire were posted on the Facebook page that was created to launch a search for the cat who went missing when the Lee family returned home from Dubai on July 27.

"Dinky has settled quite well. He was so pleased to see my parents," said Donna Louise Bailey, a Dubai resident and daughter of Ian Lees. She created the Facebook page 'Dinky, the most famous cat in Dubai.'

Dinky has been with the Lees since he was about 15 weeks old and was a gift from a neighbour in Dubai.

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After working in Dubai for five years, the Lees returned with their cats in July only to find that one cat Cleo made it to Gatwick, but Dinky’s cage was empty.

One of the posts calling for help to find him described him as: Dinky is a small cat with a funny tooth – he is lost in Dubai.

It is still unclear how Dinky escaped but volunteers and animal welfare groups responded on social media with information and message.

Mr Lee finally received a call from the Dubai Municipality this month that his cat had been found and identified due to his microchip tag. He flew back to Dubai to pick up Dinky on September 24.

“Dinky is safe. We are relieved. Thank you all for your help and support,” Ms Bailey said.

Dinky isn't the first cat to get lost moving home. In 2015, Felix a cat returning to the US escaped its cage at New York's JFK airport. Like Dinky, he was found alive and safe after two weeks in the airport.