A COUNTY pet lover, whose two cats have disappeared, claims more than 10 animals have gone missing from her area in the last fortnight.

The losses have prompted Margaret Moore to suspect that a gang of "pet nappers" may have struck.

She is appealing to other owners to come forward if they have also lost pets so that she will have enough evidence to call in police.

On Wednesday, August 2, Mrs Moore's cats Thomas, a nine-year-old black-and-white half-Siamese male, and Nutty, a 13-year-old white-and-ginger male, disappeared.

"They had always come back at night, but this time they've just vanished," said Mrs Moore, of Appletree Road, Pershore. "I've put posters up around here, but nobody's seen them."

She says she is being treated for depression as a result of their disappearance.

"A lot of other people have called me to say their pets have vanished, too, and we don't know where they are," she said.

"It's just too upsetting to think of what might have happened."

She said that more than 10 animals had gone missing in the last two weeks, leading to suspicions that the disappearances were connected.

"Someone has seen a dog being put into the back of a van," she said.

"I want to bring this to the attention of people. The police say they need more people to say what's happening. They need more proof."

Robin Phillips, of Briar Close, Evesham, said he suspected that visiting travellers could be to blame for their pets' disappearances.

"People have noted a white van in the area when their animals have gone missing, but you don't connect the two until it's happened," said Mr Phillips, whose German shepherd dog Harold vanished at Easter.

"We know Harold must have been stolen. We miss him terribly as he was a big part of our lives."

Police say missing pets need to be reported as thefts.