The Purr-muda triangle: Mystery after FORTY-FIVE pet cats disappear from same town

First to go was Tabatha, then Blackie, Lucky and Norman. Felix vanished, Star never came home and YumYum was never seen again.

In all, at least 45 cats have gone missing in eight years from the quiet, tree-lined Meriden Avenue and its surrounding streets.

Nobody knows what is behind the disappearances, and the only clues have been a few discarded collars - no bodies have ever been found.

Cats including Molly, Felix, Ernie, Lily, Lucky and Blackie are among the dozens of cats to have disappeared from the one area



Owners call the area a 'Bermuda Triangle for cats'.

The situation is now so severe that the RSPCA has stopped re-homing cats there, while residents of the streets in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, are considering desperate measures - either employing a pet detective, or putting up CCTV cameras.

Julie Wootton, whose 15-year-old cat Norman went missing last year, has been logging the disappearances since they started.

The 42-year-old said: 'I've counted nearly 50 cats, but we suspect there may have been many more. Where they are ending up we just don't know.'

Kerry Davis said she would not own any more cats after her pet Gizmo disappeared along with his sister Lily

The latest victim is Gizmo, a five-year-old tabby which disappeared from Meriden Avenue a few weeks ago. His sister, Lily, vanished last year.

Their owner Kerry Davis, 31, said: 'It was heartbreaking when Lily disappeared. She was so friendly, she would go up to people just to get some love and affection.

'Now Gizmo is gone too, it's just devastating. I couldn't bear to get any more cats after what's happened around here.'

The vanishing acts began in 2000 but appeared to have come to a halt in June last year. However, they began again in May.



This aerial map shows the number of cats which have gone missing in the one area dubbed the Purr-muda Triangle

One family with young children lost all three of their cats, while one homeowner is so distressed that she wants to move away.

Cheryl Vine, another cat owner, said: 'There must be people trapping them and using them for something because cats will always drag themselves home if they are injured.'

The RSPCA said: 'There have never been any bodies found. Without any evidence it has been very hard for our officers to investigate.'

Residents are too afraid to let their remaining cats out after a spate of feline disappearances