Missing cats a mystery

CHARACTER: Pebbles is one of three cats missing from a Whanganui home and the owner is asking for help to find out what has happened to them.

A Whanganui cat owner living in Gonville Ave is distressed by the disappearance of three of her pets and mystified as to what has become of them.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, said the first cat disappeared in late 2014 and now two others have failed to return home in recent weeks.

"They all just did not turn up for their dinner and it is really baffling because although they did cross the road at times, we haven't found them run over or anything."

The owner said the cats were all around six years old and she had rescued them as tiny kittens from Waverley where they had been abandoned.

All the cats had been de-sexed and vaccinated with microchips implanted and their owner said they were not prone to wandering.

"They all had unique personalities and the male cat, Pebbles was a real character - a loaf of bread would disappear and I would find that he had hidden it behind the curtains and he would do really strange things like take off down the hall with a pair of kitchen scissors in his mouth."

Pebbles disappeared last week and although the owner has posted fliers around the neighbourhood, there have been no reported sightings of any of the cats.

Whanganui Police Constable Gurkarnvar Singh said he has been informed of the disappearances and they appear to be isolated.

"It is not like the spate of cat killings and disappearances that were happening around Whanganui a couple of years ago," he said.

"We never did get to the bottom of most of those but after there was publicity about them, the reports tapered off."

Constable Singh said there have been no other recent reports of pets disappearing from the area.

The owner says she would like anyone who may have seen her cats or know what may have happened to them to contact the Chronicle.