Holly Willoughby stars in Aardman's Christmas cat animation

Holly Willoughby stars in an Aardman-produced Christmas animation that encourages cat owners to microchip their pets.

The This Morning presenter lends her voice to an animated film for the charity Cats Protection, based on the true story of a cat who was found three years after she went missing from her Plymouth home.

Casper, a five-year-old white cat, disappeared from the home of Anna Day and her 12-year-old son Daniel in 2017 and was eventually reunited with his owners thanks to his microchip after turning up in Truro, Cornwall.

Mrs Day said: “We were all heartbroken when Casper didn’t come back, especially Daniel.

“We didn’t expect to see him again after such a long time, so it was a miracle to bring him home.

“The whole family is so excited to have Casper’s story immortalised in this way – and hopefully it will encourage more cat owners to consider microchipping their pets.”

According to Cats Protection, 26% of domestic cats in the UK are not microchipped.

Willoughby, who voiced mother Anna in the cartoon, said: “The story of Casper and Daniel is so beautiful and really touched me as a cat owner.

“It was a pleasure to be involved in such a wonderful project.”

The three-minute cartoon will be released on Wednesday, and the shorter version will be broadcast on television throughout December.