Pedigree cats are taken by burglars in Scholes (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Pedigree cats are taken by burglars in Scholes

10:00am Wednesday 26th December 2012 in News By Claire Armstrong, T&A Reporter

A family’s Christmas celebrations were ruined by burglars who took their beloved pedigree cats.

Thieves broke into the home of Leigh Sutton, wife Kate and daughters Saffron, six, and Summer, four, in Scholes near Cleckheaton.

They took not only electrical goods, but also the family’s pedigree Birman cats Mazuma and Ruble.

They then made their escape in the family’s Volkswagen Polo, which has since been found, undamaged, in Wyke.

But although there was cat hair in the car, the cats are still missing.

Mr Sutton said: “They’re house cats, they’ve been house cats since day one. They might go out into the garden but never any further. They were never outside cats, that’s what’s so worrying. They don’t know about traffic.” He said since the incident, which happened overnight on Friday, he had been putting up posters in the area pleading for the cats to be returned.

Mr Sutton said the tom cats were fluffy and white with grey faces and tails and blue eyes.

He said they wouldn’t have much monetary value as they were both ten- years-old and had been neutered, but they were a part of the family and his daughters were desperate to have them back. He said: “One of my daughters said, ‘I’m happy because it’s Christmas and Santa’s coming, but I’m sad because there are only four members of our family.”

Also missing after the burglary are an iPad, the children’s Nintendo DS games consoles, a laptop, a vacuum cleaner and even Mr Sutton’s old pairs of trainers. He said: “I don’t care about them, I’m insured. It’s the blooming cats.”

He said luckily the family’s Christmas presents hadn’t been downstairs so they weren’t stolen. A police spokesman said: “Enquiries are ongoing and any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact Dewsbury CID via 101.”