Chris Lindsey, Alley the cat
Alley the stray Greek cat began to purr as soon as she was reunited with US Naval Officer Chris Lindsey in San Diego this week (Picture: Fox5)

A neglected kitty purred as soon as she was reunited with a US Naval Officer who rescued her from an uncertain future in Greece.

The ginger cat, called Alley, looked delighted to be back in the arms of Petty Officer Chris Lindsey after arriving in San Diego Wednesday night.

Lindsey had always considered him a dog person – and says being away from his wife, son and husky Foxy was the hardest thing about the six overseas tours he’s done.

But during his most recent deployment, the affectionate little kitty made friends with Lindsey, and helped him cope with being away from his family.

When it was time to return to the US, Lindsey was distraught at the thought of leaving Alley, so contacted rescue charities Operation Baghdad Pups and SPCA International.

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Alley first made friends with Chris while he was stationed in Greece, and helped him through the pain of being away from his wife, son and dog (Picture: Fox5)
Chris Lindsey
Alley look thrilled to be reunited with her old friend – and quickly charmed Chris’s wife Tiffany, as well as his son (Picture: Fox5)

He explained: ‘Mainly I’ve been a dog person and I never in my entire life thought I would adopt a cat, but I fell in love with Alley.

‘I was like, “I can’t leave her here.” I didn’t think she would survive. I really wanted her to have a good home.’

Fox5 was there to capture the emotional reunion, with Lindsey saying ‘I miss you, I miss you,’ as he cradled the skinny cat moments after her carrier was opened up.

His wife Tiffany was also smitten with their new pet, saying: ‘Look at how sweet she is.’

The Lindseys have since taken Alley home, and say the first thing they did for the cat was treat her to a large bowl of gourmet kitty food.