A rare cat belonging to a pet-rescuing pensioner was ‘stolen’ while she lay in hospital, it is believed.

Thea Mutch, 73, from Woodley, has rescued and nurtured stray cats, injured pets and wildlife for over 40 years.

She was hospitalised by a series of seizures in April and when she returned home, her red point Siamese Kanga had vanished.

Leaflet drops across 23,000 homes, ongoing social media activity and an investigation by the Pet Detectives have not located Kanga for over nine weeks.

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Missing exotic breeds such as Siamese are often linked to theft and stealing to order, according to activist Cherrie Sawyer, who has established several social media ‘lost and found’ groups across Berkshire.

She said that of the 125 cats reported missing to her in 2022, 25 remain so, many of which are unusual pedigree breeds.

“This concerns me, as we are seeing numbers rise, especially since the pandemic when families acquired pets at much higher rates than in previous years,” she said.

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“Theft and stealing to order becomes a much greater concern when we analyse the stats”.

Figures obtained by the campaign group Pet Theft Awareness from 36 police forces show almost a 40 per cent increase in cat thefts from 2020 to 2021.

Around seven in 10 crimes in which animals are stolen involve dogs, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Thea is recovering at home and managing a neurological condition and awaiting further treatment.

She suffers from sleep loss due to the anxiety and distress caused by losing Kanga.

In the late 1970’s, Thea she was part of a pioneering group Petwatch, which established the first lost and found register for missing pets.

Working closely with Diana Brimblecombe, the Cats Protection League and other local rescue groups, Thea spent much of her time attending stray cat colonies, injured pets and wildlife cases.

You can help with vigilant community care for missing pets by using local Facebook “Lost and Found” groups.