BERLIN—Forget the return of “Star Wars.” For a family in Berlin, this Christmas saw the return of Miko—their cherished black-and-white cat that went missing in the German capital in 2008.

 

“A family from Berlin-Charlottenburg (neighborhood) this year experienced a Christmas story with a particularly ‘happy ending,’” an association for the protection of animals announced on Saturday.

 

“They learned on Christmas Day that their cat Miko had been found—seven years later,” said the group that runs a refuge for animals where the cat was identified.

 

Miko had been discovered by people in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood—just a few kilometers from its old home turf—and taken to the refuge where workers were able to contact the owners because the cat had an identity chip.

 

Elena Hanke was 11 years old when she searched in vain for the missing Miko. Along with her father and sister Jennifer, she came to the shelter to recover the long-lost pet, the association said.

 

After years as a runaway, Miko was “a bit too thin” but still healthy, the veterinarian at the refuge told the delighted family.