Wednesday woe for pet owners amid fears ‘cat burglar’ on loose

Some residents believe the cats are being taken in the hope they are pedigree animals, potentially valuable. If the cat does not match their requirements they may then be being dumped.

Louise Barningham lost her cat Muffin on the same Wednesday another cat on the same street disappeared.

She said: “It’s odd that Muffin is not the only cat to have gone missing in the area. It seems that something sinister is going on.”

Rachael Theaker discovered her one-year-old cat Cassie had vanished along with two other cats, named Reaper and Tibby, in nearby Staithes.

Her cat, which is blind in one eye, was spotted days later several miles away.

Rachael said: “She didn’t get up there by herself, she’s been taken up there.”

A Whitby Police spokesman said: “Losing a beloved pet is heartbreaking and we will do everything we can to solve the mystery.

“If there is a serial cat thief operating in the area, they need to be stopped.