Theft of elderly cat outside house caught on camera

A cat owner said she felt "devastated" when she saw CCTV footage of her elderly pet being stolen from a box outside a neighbour's house.

Naomi Winter, 38, of Wivenhoe in Essex, said her 18-year-old cat Padstow had become a celebrity in the area and was known for his "loving nature".

Video showed the moment he was lifted from the box he was sleeping in at about 01:30 BST on Tuesday.

Mrs Winter said: "I am devastated. You can hear him [in the video] and he is not picked up in a nice way. It was horrible."

Padstow is 18 years old and sleeps outside in a box

For the past year, Padstow has slept outside their neighbour's house and has been woken up for his breakfast at about 06:00 BST.

Mrs Winter, a mental health nurse, explained how he liked to sleep in his "little den" and said her heart sank when she realised he was not there.

"When I watched the video the first time, I couldn't watch it again.

"You can hear the sound he made; he was picked up quite roughly."

Naomi Winter has two children, aged one and five, who have lived with the cat their entire life

The cat was later found a few miles away from his home in The Hythe part of Colchester on Wednesday night.

Mrs Winter said she was about to go to sleep when a couple rang her saying they had found her cat.

"I couldn't believe it, I had gone to bed quite heartbroken, thinking I'm never going to see him again and then my phone rings," she said.

Mrs Winter said the couple then drove Padstow home and he was welcomed back by the whole neighbourhood.

She added: "He is a celebrity in our neighbourhood, everyone stops to address him and give him a cuddle. Sometimes he goes on a walk with people.

She said the incident was reported to police.

Christian and Naomi Winter live in Essex with their two children