Hillsborough pitch-invading cat reunited with owner after seven months

Daniel Brown

Topsey escaped from owner Alison Jubb in June

A cat which stopped play during Sheffield Wednesday’s win against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday is said to have been missing for over seven months.

‘Topsey’ escaped from owner Alison Jubb in June during a trip to a cattery in Sheffield, Ms Jubb confirmed.

However, the cat ran on to the pitch at Hillsborough during Sheffield Wednesday’s game against promotion-chasing Wigan.

The feline was eventually caught by one of the players and has since been taken to a vet to be examined, with Ms Jubb saying that she had her fingers crossed that Topsey would be alright and that she couldn’t wait to see her again.

“She went missing last June. We were going away and I was taking her to a cattery and she escaped out of the cat box and we never heard anything again,” she told the BBC.

“My daughter-in-law rang me last night as they were watching the match and said there was a cat on the football pitch. I sort of laughed it off.”

Despite not thinking anything of it at first, Ms Jubb then received a call from Spire Vets who had scanned Topsey’s microchip and identified her owners.

She added: “That was the first time I realised it really was her.”

Cat on the pitch 😺

There was a feline pitch invader in the 94th minute on Sheffield Wednesday vs Wigan last night 😊pic.twitter.com/DgJCVOAKuH

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) February 9, 2022

Footage of Topsey’s last-minute pitch invasion was posted online and quickly went viral, with the match being stopped while she was rescued by one of the players.

Once the cat had been safely removed from the pitch, a vet in attendance took her to a veterinary practice to be examined, where she was given painkillers.

Ms Jubb said: “She’s got some bites on her neck, it looks like something like a dog may have grabbed her and shook her, so they need to do an x-ray. She’s a bit scared.

“Until they’ve done that, we don’t know [if she’ll make it].”

Barry Bannan’s 53rd minute penalty was enough to secure all three points for Darren Moore’s side, who moved up to seventh in League One with the win.

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