Heartbroken family thought they'd found missing cat - only to take in 'identical' dupe

Sarah Moon and daughters Phoebe, Imogen and Freya Kaye were devastated when beloved pet Walter went missing on December 16. After catching a mouse he went back out and didn't come back to their home in Pontefract.

Retired police diver Sarah said: “It's been horrendous, it's like losing a family member. It's been the worst Christmas. I can only imagine what it's like when people lose a human. It's been heartwrenching, we're broken.

"We hope even if someone has him or knocked him over if they came forward with more information.”

Searching high and wide across the neighbourhood and social media, a family in Hemsworth got in touch believing they had tracked Walter down. The cat looked just like Walter and the family headed down to collect him.

But the Hemsworth cat turned out to be a completely different animal despite looking strikingly similar.

Because the family couldn’t stand to see the new cat, who wasn’t microchipped, left alone they took her to be checked by a vet and into their home.

It’s made for a complicated situation as the new cat became comfortable while the heartbroken family’s search for missing Walter continued.

Sarah, who now runs a dog walking business, said: “It’s nice having a little cat in the house but it's confusing and upsetting. She's not Walter but she's so sweet. It's very strange. It's a bit like that film Changeling when they're sent the wrong son.”

Changeling was a 2008 film starring Angelina Jolie in which her character’s missing son appears to be replaced with another boy.

The cat's owners have since been found and she has been returned.

Sarah added: “It’s almost giving us hope that if this cat can be found and picked up after a week and a half that Walter could be hanging out doing the same thing.

“It's quite apparent how they can latch onto a new family without a backwards glance – they're not very loyal.”

Walter is described as a small to medium tomcat, three years old, has a collar and a disc. He is not confident with people he doesn't know and generally does not go near any traffic.