Crack squad called in to help in hunt for lost cat

The one year old moggie called Echo disappeared on July 31 and owner Leonie Lugg has now called in a team of pet detectives to hunt for her.

The team - led by former West Midlands police officer Tom Watkins - has been out scouring the village with walkie-talkies, rescue traps, torches and police-style patrol vehicles in a bid to find the cherished pet.

The squad - Animal Search UK’s professional Missing Pet Search team - has searched high and low, including making door-to-door enquiries, but has so far found no trace of little Echo, a grey/tortoiseshell who is microchipped and neutered.

But the team promise they will do all they can to leave no stone unturned in the search for Echo. Tom Watkins said: “We’ve made sure that we have as much background as possible before we commenced our search. We checked details about Echo’s normal routine, and her usual patterns of movement in the area.”

He added: “Most missing pets are found within a mile of home – the challenge faced by owners, is making sure that as many people as possible know that their pet has gone missing, and encouraging them to be vigilant in keeping an eye out for them.

“Unfortunately, work and family commitments often mean that owners don’t have as much time as they’d like to devote scouring the area looking for their missing pet, and this is one of the ways in which Animal Search UK can help.

“Our professional, uniformed specialist missing pet search teams can usually be at any location in the UK within 48 hours, to help owners find a missing pet.”

The company www.animalsearchuk.co.uk launched 17 years ago and now has around 2,000 visitors a day to its website. Thousands of pets are reunited with their owners every year.

Anyone with any information or should ring the Animal Search UK free confidential helpline on 0800 4 320 340 and quote case ref: 260317. Lines are open 24 hours a day.