Leeds, UK - Jasper the stray cat recently ended up with animal welfare volunteers, but they were horrified when they checked the animal's microchip. But why?

The Cat Action Trust 1977 Leeds is a charity that takes in shelter cats aged twelve and over.

These hard-to-place felines are often put to sleep, but these rescuers are there when no one else wants to help.

Jasper the stray recently ended up with these passionate animal rights activists.

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When they checked the cat's microchip, however, they were shocked.

According to the data, the furry friend was dead.

The helpers suspected that the stray had escaped years ago and had been declared dead at some point.

The cat is now 17 years old, and they were able to find his name on the chip.

Once the team had everything together, they wanted to give Jasper's owners the good news that he was still alive and had reappeared!

They actually managed to contact the owners by email – but they didn't have any good news for the animal rights activists.

Jasper's former owners had already left the UK years ago and had given Jasper to a neighbor, so it was back to square one.

"We go to great lengths to reunite lost and stray cats with their owners, including visiting the last registered address and sending a letter to the address," said animal welfare campaigner Alice in an interview with Newsweek.

"We share photos on social media and mobilize a network of lost and found Facebook groups to spread the word," they explained.

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In Jasper's case, the team would now have to track down the neighbors of the first owners, but even that is difficult at the moment.

It's quite possible that the old cat will need a new home after all.

"If you recognise him, please get in touch. We are doing all we can to find his owners," the rescue wrote.

"If no owner can be found, we will find him a nice warm retirement home," they added.