Jeremy, a three-year-old Abyssinian, is not even a pedigree, but for David and Linda Horobin he was like a son.

The BBC's Julia Rooke: "Jeremy's owners say it has been like losing a child"

Mrs Horobin, of Northwich, Cheshire, said the reward may seem obscene to some people but that pet owners would be able to empathise with her distress.

"He's a just a very precious little person to us and he's just part of our lives," she told BBC News 24.

Linda: desperately seeking Jeremy

"Unless you're an animal lover then you wouldn't understand that. But I'm sure there's lots of animal lovers out there who would understand what I'm saying and know what it means."

After two weeks, Jeremy was nowhere to be found so the couple raised the reward from £1,000 to £10,000. The idea was to attract people who would not normally be interested in finding a lost pet.

Linda Horobin: "We just want him back because we love him"

Since then, the phone has not stopped ringing with potential sightings and calls from the media. Mrs Horobin has also scoured the countryside but with no luck.

Animal psychologist Roger Mugford said the bond with our pets can be incredibly strong.

"To be honest it is a pretty common phenomenon. You hear a lot of people saying they wouldn't part with their pet for a million pounds and this £10,000 reward is only taking those words to their logical extension," he said.

But it seems cat owners' love and devotion is not always reciprocated.

"Many, many cats that are thought to have been stolen just up and leave although that is normally during the spring," said Mr Mogford.