A silver tabby cat at the centre of a tug-of-love court battle is back home with her owners.

Saffie was handed over to Suzie Wainman yesterday after weeks of living with another family.

She had been given away by cat rescuers Michael and Jane Tully, who had taken her in a few days before Christmas, thinking she was a stray.

Michael and Jane Tully, who run Fiveways Cat Rescue from their Brighton home, handed Saffie back after the other owners decided they ought to give up their new pet even though Saffie had already won a place in their hearts.

The handover marked the end of a heartbreaking time for Suzie Wainman, her husband Paul and their three children.

When they discovered what had happened to Saffie, Mr and Mrs Wainman lodged a legal battle to force the rescuers to reveal their pet's new address.

A judge at Brighton County Court ruled the Tullys should tell the Wainmans where Saffie was so that they could ask for her back.

He was due to decide on Thursday who was entitled to keep her if the ownership dispute had not been settled by then.

Saffie had been given a new home with a family from Newhaven who did not want to be identified.

They agreed to give her back and delivered her to the rescue centre yesterday.

Mrs Wainman, of Garden Close, Portslade said: "Saffie was a bit confused at first and could not work out what was going on.

"It was not until we were halfway home that she realised who we were and started to purr."

However, Saffie did not escape from her adventure entirely unscathed.

Fiveways Cat Rescue has a policy of keeping strays for seven days and then neutering them, before finding new homes for them.

The Wainmans were presented with a £120 bill to cover the cost of neutering and inserting a microchip under her skin.

Michael Tully confirmed he would be at court for the resumed hearing on Thursday.

He said: "The family we gave Saffie to are very upset they could not keep her.

"However, they saw all the fuss that this has caused in the media and decided to give her back."