A cat who went missing back in 2014 has been reunited with his owner - more than 1,200 miles away.

The six-year-old cat named Sasha was found on the streets of Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico.

His owner Viktor Usov lives in Portland, Oregon - three states away.

The journey would take around 20 days on foot.

The Santa Fe Animal Shelter said it has no idea how or why the cat ended up so far from home.

But as he was microchiped, they were able to locate his owner.

Sasha and Murad Kirdar on the way back to Portland | Image: Facebook/Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society

Murad Kirdar is public information officer at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter.

He explained: "Sasha came up to us as a stray wondering the streets of Santa Fe.

"Animal control brought him in and he had no collar - but when we scanned the cat low and behold there was a phone number on it.

"We called the number and it was a family in Portland, Oregon".

Asked what he thought Sasha was doing for the last five years, Mr Usov said: "I imagine he got to see the Grand Canyon".

Sasha and his owner Viktor Usov | Image: Facebook/Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society

The cat and Mr Kirdar were flown back to Oregon by American Airlines.

Company spokesman Curtis Blessing said: "At American Airlines, our business is about caring for people on life's journey and connecting them with their loved ones.

"When we heard Sasha had been found so far from home, we were honoured to be in a position to get her back to her family."