A WOMAN whose cat has helped her cope with the sadness of childlessness has told of her desperation since it disappeared just over a fortnight ago.

Mamta Scally, of Nether Poppleton, York, who with her husband Paul is offering a reward for the safe return of Burmese cat Poppy, said the animal was her ‘feline child in the absence of the human kind.'

She said: “She is a huge part of our lives and has helped us heal during a very difficult time.

"After struggling for years with infertility and losing a baby, we faced the devastating realisation the door to parenthood had closed on us.

"Poppy was a name we'd kept for a baby girl if we'd had one. So when this little Burmese kitten arrived we called her Poppy. We are devastated and totally heartbroken since her disappearance."

She said that since Poppy had failed to return home on March 14, she had distributed 1,500 leaflets and searched the streets for so long that her feet got blistered.

She believed Poppy might have jumped inside someone's vehicle, such as a delivery or work van, and had been transported elsewhere.

She urged anyone who was in the Poppleton area on the evening of March 14 to search where they lived, or provide any information on their stop points that evening.

Anyone with information should call Mamta on 07899 695749.