Oxfordshire villagers report missing cats returning injured to police

Some cats are returning home "injured and afraid of human contact", a vet says

Cat owners in a village have said their pets have been going missing and returning injured.

Several disappearances in Milton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, have been reported to police over 10 months

A vet has also raised concerns about the regularity of animals going missing but could not confirm if the injuries were deliberate.

Shaz Potter said her neighbour's cat disappeared before hers vanished a couple of months later.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman confirmed officers had "received reports of a number of cats going missing" in the area.

"The investigation has been filed pending further information," he added.

Shaz Potter said initially her neighbours cat disappeared and then a couple of months later hers went missing

Ms Potter said some of the animals "come back injured and afraid of human contact".

Another resident said they were surprised when their cat went missing and its collar was found in the garden, as if it had been taken off.

William Oldham, who works for Medivet in Woodstock, said it was not unusual for cats to wander during the summer months.

But he said: "The concern is the significant number that have gone missing in such a small area."

He said after treating three cats from the neighbourhood it was not clear if they had been injured accidentally but added that "some of the animals had suffered significant trauma".

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.