Sheffield nurse offers reward for cat’s safe return

Ingrid Cooper, 58 said her Burmese cat named Ziggy went missing on June 13 after she failed to return home, triggering a week-long search for the pedigree pet in Bents Green.

She said she and her husband, Bob Cooper went on a frantic search by knocking on her neighbours' doors to check their garages, sheds and gardens.

The mother-of-one said: "Ziggy is microchipped and she's been missing for over six weeks now. I came home from a shift and my husband was out.

"Ziggy's sister, Zara came in for food but she didn't come. Normally she'd be out in the garden and would come home when we called her but we waited and waited.

"We knocked on our neighbours' doors, nobody has seen anything...She never ventured out in the streets.”

She then decided to put up flyers about the missing family pet around the neighbourhood, only to receive a hoax call claiming to be from the animal charity, RSPCA.

"It absolutely devastated me because we thought it was real. Bob called me at work and said she's been injured but we found out it was a hoax.

"It was disgusting...I lost my mum nine years ago and I haven't cried that much since. I was absolutely heartbroken.”

She said both Ziggy and her sister Zara have been inseparable since they came under her care 18 months ago and they have made her happy since the pandemic hit.

"I worked through this pandemic in critical care. I've had 17 months of absolute hell and these cats are what kept me going. It's not easy.

"It's just like a right kick in the teeth after everything that's gone off."

Ingrid said since Ziggy's disappearance, Zara had to be put on a long string so her movement is limited to the back garden.

"We feel really, really bad about having to do this. She wants to go out but we are scared we'd lose her too. It really is traumatising."

She also said that her pet, if stolen, cannot be used for breeding as she is already spayed.

"I’ve joined a lot of websites for lost pets and the amount of missing cats is phenomenal, and they’re not all pedigree.

"I just think somebody might have stolen her.”

In response to the hoax call, RSPCA urged members of the public to report the incident to the police.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are disgusted by reports that scammers are preying on upset people who have lost their pets.

"We do not ask for money for veterinary care for missing pets over the phone in this way and would urge anyone who receives such a call not to give out their personal details.

“If anyone is contacted about a missing pet in RSPCA care they should ask for a reference number and the officer’s name and call our national call centre on 0300 1234 999 between 7am and 10pm to check.

“If the call is not genuine please report this to the police immediately.”

Please visit Cat Ziggy lost Sheffield S11 on Facebook for more information.

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