'What has happened to my cats?' - Telford owners' fears over vanishing pets

Sam Holdaway says her seven-year-old male cat Monty disappeared last October, which left her devastated.

And this week she was left heartbroken once more after her female cat Macey went missing on Tuesday.

Following Macey's disappearance the 30-year-old has spoken to other cat owners and discovered a number of animals in Telford have also vanished.

The mother-of-one is now worried there may be more to this and fears the cats may have been taken or harmed in some way.

Mrs Holdaway, who lives in Ketley with her husband Scott and three-year-old daughter Amelia, says she has also seen unsubstantiated rumours on social media about a man trying lure a cat into a van.

The IT worker, said: "When Monty went missing I searched for him and put posters up and even used Facebook to try and find but I never had any luck.

"I started to accept the fact that he had gone as he was a very adventurous cat.

"But then Macey went missing and I knew something wasn't right as she was so timid and would never go to people she didn't know.

"I then started to look on Facebook and saw that a grey cat similar to Macey had gone missing in Wellington, which isn't too far away.

"As well as that there are a number of lost cat posters in the our local shops, and they are all grey.

"After seeing all this I then looked to see how popular grey cats are and they are being sold for £500 to £600, now I am concerned someone may be taking cats to order.

"Macey isn't chipped, but Monty is, but no one has come forward."

Mrs Holdaway is currently 37-weeks pregnant, and says her daughter has been left distraught since Macey never returned home.

She said Amelia became attached to the 11-year-old cat, who Mrs Holdaway got as a kitten.

She said: "Amelia keeps asking me where Macey Moo Moo is and she it has really affected her.

"I have called the police but they said there isn't much they can do but did say if anyone knows their pet has been stolen to call them and report it."

Mrs Holdaway has also set up a Facebook page called Get Monty and Macey Home, asking for information to help find him.

West Mercia Police says anyone concerned about their cat going missing should contact their local station.