An animal sanctuary says it has traced the owners of a cat that turned up on its doorstep seven years after it went missing in Nijmegen.

The 18-year-old cat, called Mulan, was brought in to the Hof van Ede shelter in Ede at the weekend, but its chip showed it was registered at an address in Nijmegen, 30 kilometres away. Since the pet was reported missing the owners have moved away and the building has been converted into a hotel.

A Facebook post about Mulan on Monday triggered an avalanche of interest from users and Dutch media organisations as they tried to track down the cat’s former and more recent owners.

A spokesman told NOS that the cat was unlikely to have survived for seven years on the streets: ‘She has lost a lot of weight, but her teeth are in good condition.’

The shelter said on Monday it had received information about Mulan’s owners, but if they do not come forward the cat has also received offers of a new home.