Missing cat numbers played down

Residents claim up to 50 cats have disappeared without trace

The RSPCA has said it cannot confirm the exact number of pet cats reported missing without trace from a neighbourhood in the West Midlands.

It follows claims by residents that up to 50 cats have reportedly disappeared in the past five years in the area around Meriden Avenue, Stourbridge.

The RSPCA said it had no leads despite investigating the case for two years.

It said it was unusual that no bodies or remains had been found, and it shared pet owners' welfare concerns.

The RSPCA said it had no theories for what was happening because there were no patterns, but it was "very worried".

'No bodies'

RSPCA spokeswoman Calie Woozley said it was a very difficult case to investigate without evidence as no bodies had ever been found and the cats had apparently disappeared without trace.

She added: "I cannot confirm the exact numbers because the residents' figures are from the past five years and we have only been investigating for two years.

"We rely on the owners coming to us with information, so its hard to give an accurate number for how many cats might have been involved."

She said both pedigree and non-pedigree cats had been reported as missing, but so far the disappearances had not affected other animals.

'Run over'

Claire Bessant, chief executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau charity for animal welfare, said there were many explanations for missing cats and not all of them were sinister.

She said: "People are sure there is a white van going around scooping cats up, but it's just as likely they have been run over and perhaps the bin man has put them in his lorry.

"In this instance the numbers involved suggest there are too many to be a coincidence, though."

She urged people to keep their cats indoors at night and to consider securing their gardens with catproof fencing to prevent people snatching them from the garden and to stop cats wandering into traps.