Holly Willoughby stars in an Aardman-made Christmas animation encouraging cat owners to get their pets microchipped.

The This Morning presenter lends her voice to an animation made for the charity Cats Protection, which is based on the true story of a cat who was found three years after going missing from his home in Plymouth.

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

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

Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby lends her voice to the Aardman-made animation (Ian West/PA)

“We never expected to see him again after such a long time, so it was miraculous to get him back home.

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

Cats Protection Christmas animation
Cats Protection hopes the clip will encourage cat owners to microchip their pets (Cats Protection)

According to Cats Protection, 26% of pet cats in the UK are not chipped.

Willoughby, who provided the voice for mum Anna in the animation, said: “Casper and Daniel’s story is so lovely and, as a cat owner, it really struck a chord with me.

Daniel, 12, and his mum, Anna, with their cat, Casper.
The animation is inspired by the real life story of Casper and his owners, Anna and Daniel Day (Cats Protection)

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

The three-minute animation is launched on Wednesday, with shorter version set to air on TV throughout December.