A RELIEVED family has been reunited with their beloved Bengal cat who went missing after climbing into a supermarket delivery van.

Tersia van Vuuren, husband Ben and their children, 10-year-old Luka, and Grace, seven, had been frantically looking for their pet, Chaos, after he went missing on Wednesday, November 25.

But on Wednesday the adventurous feline was reunited with them after a friend of their neighbour recognised the distinctive-looking animal from a photograph in the Worcester News. He had wandered towards Lower Broadheath and was spotted by Ann Brodie, her sister Betty and another neighbour called Ray.

Grace was so relieved to see Chaos she burst into tears. When Ben van Vuuren went to collect him, Chaos went ‘mad’ with excitement after hearing his voice.

He said: “Grace was ecstatic. We got a phone call from my neighbour opposite who is very good friends with Ann Brodie.

I drove down to Lower Broadheath and he was there. He went absolutely mad when he heard me. Bengal cats are very vocal. They’re very much like dogs in that way. They’re very interesting cats.”

He was not sure whether Chaos had been trying to get home as Lower Broadheath is between Worcester and Bringsty Common, near Bromyard where the family lives.

Chaos has lost a bit of weight during his adventure and was fast asleep when the Worcester News made contact with his family. But Mr Geldenhuys van Vuuren said Chaos is a ‘prolific hunter’ so could fend for himself out in the wild.

He added: “We had pretty much given up. We were very surprised to see him. He somehow survived.”

Betty said Chaos looked a little lost but there was no mistaking him for an ordinary cat because of his markings. Neighbours were happy they had helped bring about a happy ending.

The family had been frantically searching around their home on Bringsty Common, near Bromyard, since Chaos disappeared.

But it emerged a week later, after speaking to a Tesco delivery driver, that the cat had in fact climbed into one of the company’s vans and was spotted running away when it stopped for a delivery in Winchester Avenue, Worcester.

Mrs van Vuuren said she was disappointed the driver, or anybody from Tesco, failed to contact them to say the cat escaped from the van, as she said it was a week wasted searching near their home.

The supermarket apologised and pulled out all the stops to help the family find missing Chaos – putting up posters and offering a reward.

After making an appeal on social media and putting up posters, she said there is some hope as she has now received an email saying the cat had been spotted in Dines Green, Worcester, last Wednesday.

Tesco had offered a £50 gift card to the person who helped return the cat.