Owner of cat comes forward

Toffee the cat was found wandering the streets of Brisbane.

The owner of Toffee, the Tauranga cat found wandering the streets of Brisbane neglected, has come forward and wants to be reunited with her pet.

Kathy, from Rescue Cats and Kittens Brisbane, said they had received an email from a person with the same name Toffee was registered to and had since confirmed she was the genuine owner.

The owner had said she placed Toffee in the care of a little girl because she was now based in Hong Kong.

"I just want my baby boy back home to me," she wrote.

Kathy, who wanted to be known only by her first name, said Toffee's owner was devastated that the person she left him with had not taken care of him as had been promised.

"We will be working towards him getting his full health back and being given full vet clearance before he can travel.

"We have no idea how we will pay for it but I am hoping that some of the people who have followed his story will be able to help to get him home."

The search for Toffee went viral on social media after a post to find the cat's owner was uploaded late last week. He had been microchipped in Tauranga.

The New Zealand Lost Pet Register put the post up on Friday night and it had been viewed 286,771 times.