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 which went missing in the German capital in 2008.

"A family from Berlin-Charlottenburg (neighbourhood) this year experienced a Christmas story with a particularly happy ending," announced an association for the protection of animals last Saturday.

"They learnt on Christmas Day that their cat Miko had been found - seven years later," said the group which runs a refuge for animals where the cat was identified.

Miko was found by people in a neighbourhood just a few kilometres 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 missing Miko. Along with her father and sister Jennifer, she went to the shelter to recover the long-lost pet, the association said.

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

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE