A worried pet owner from Beaconsfield fears his valuable pedigree cat has been stolen after he failed to return home at the weekend.

Dr Graham Hine, who lives in Sandelswood End, near to Ledborough Lane, has been desperately searching for his beloved pet Ollie, a lilac-coloured British Blue pedigree cat.

Despite the upset owners putting up hundreds of missing posters and posting on social media, Ollie has not been seen since Saturday, January 30.

Dr Hine now fears Ollie could have been stolen because he is ‘valuable’, with British Blue kittens selling for hundreds of pounds online.

The distraught family are said to be “desperately sad” and would “do anything to get him back”, offering a reward of £1,000 for his safe return.

He said: “He is less than a year old and we are so worried. His first birthday is meant to be next week. My wife is absolutely desolate and I have five children who are all very upset.

“He is loved by all of us. He is just one of the most beautiful cats. We have tried everything.”

In 2015, new figures revealed a sharp rise in the number of pets being stolen in the UK, with research by Blue Cross finding that pet theft is up by about a third, with 1,567 cats and dogs reported stolen in 2014 compared to 1,150 in 2012.

Colin Butcher, senior investigating officer and the founding director of The Pet Detectives Ltd, said that the while there has been a number of cat thefts in the UK, the majority of them are not ‘sinister’.

He said: “It tends to be neighbourly and not for profit. Lots of cat thefts are more like cat abductions.

“A cat will visit a household and people get attached to it and treat it as their own. That probably account for about 80 per cent of the cases we deal with.

“If you take any breed of cat, even the rarest cats in the UK, there are different societies for those specific cats. All of them will have cats for rehoming, so if someone wants to get into profiting from cats, there is no need to steal them from the streets.”

Eve Brant, deputy manager at Blue Cross in Lewknor, urged pet owners to make sure their cats are microchipped in case they go missing or are stolen.

She said: “Losing a pet can be devastating and we really hope Dr Graham Hine and his family find their beloved cat Ollie.

“We would advise all cat owners to get their pet microchipped, ensuring contact details are kept up-to-date, and to make sure their cat is wearing a quick release collar and tag.

“As well as putting posters up around the neighbourhood and asking neighbours to check sheds and garages, it’s also really important to contact local vets and animal charities in case your cat is handed in to them.”

Have you seen Ollie? Call Graham and Renata Hine on 07774 257333.