Higgins couple Andrew and Colleen Marriott this week shared the amazing story with RSPCA ACT.

Jasper, an orange tabby, was adopted from the RSPCA ACT in 2013, quickly becoming best friends with their then toddler Ivy.

But in April, 2013, Jasper went missing, devastating the family.

"After a couple of days not seeing him, we scoured the rescue sites and posted his photos on websites in the hope he had gotten lost," Andrew wrote.

"After a couple of weeks, the possibility of not seeing him again was very real. After a few months, we were resigned - our little ginger mate was no more.

"Our toddler never forgot him - even after three years, she would still occasionally ask what we thought Jasper might be doing, and why he left our house."

Then, late last month, the family received a phone call from the RSPCA ACT.

A small ginger cat had been found at the Hume garbage tip and brought into the Weston shelter by a good samaritan.

The microchip scan revealed it was Jasper.

"Ivy, our now five-year-old, burst into tears on the spot - she cried the entire drive to Weston," Andrew wrote.

"When they brought the carry case out we held our breath, hoping against hope that it could actually be our lost little boy.

"Peeking out of the door was the unmistakable ginger face of Jasper. A tad skinnier than when we last saw him, but otherwise in perfect health.

"My wife took him and in a moment he was snuggled in her arms, content to be cuddled. Ivy hardly dared pet him, in case he disappeared at her touch.

"We sent a group text out to the other children to tell them, and within seconds we had incredulous, happy responses from kids that had actually left home in the intervening years.

"It's almost impossible to describe the feeling of having him back - in some ways, it's like he never left, but at other times we see him just being his casual self and our hearts leap out of our chests in joy that he was returned.

"At the RSPCA Weston shelter, when Ivy had finally gathered up the courage to pet him, she asked me if this was real life or just a movie.

"It was very satisfying to tell her that for once we didn't have to turn the TV on to see a happy ending."

And the moral of the story? Get your pet microchipped!