Police have revealed that they have had no evidence to suggest that cats are being stolen or mistreated on a large scale.
Officers at Suffolk police have had only six incidents reported since August 1 involving cats believed to be intentionally killed or injured in the Ipswich and Stowmarket area, as well as an additional seven incidents of dogs attacking cats and one incident of a cat being attacked by a cat.
Five dead cats have also been reported to the police in that time, although no evidence of mistreatment was found.
Sergeant Mark Thomas, from Ipswich South East Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “We understand the distress and upset caused when a cat is missing or lost, but officers are only able to investigate if a criminal offence has taken place.
However, concerns had been raised by members of the Facebook group Ipswich Missing Cats that information handed to the police, including a USB containing CCTV footage of a woman who appears to put a cat in a waiting car nearby, was not being investigated.
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