A mum has been left traumatised after she was blackmailed by sick men threatening to kill her missing cat.
Lisa Chamberlain's nine-year-old black and white cat, Minnie, disappeared in December and for weeks, the family heard no news about her.
But one day, the 40-year-old mum-of-one received a phone call from two men threatening to kill her beloved pet unless she paid them £500.
Ms Chamberlain asked them for their bank details, which she then took to police to be traced, but she said that no progress has been made in finding the cruel men, or Minnie.
Ms Chamberlain, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, said three cats have been reported missing on her road in recent weeks, sparking fears a catnapper may be at large.
Lisa said she has had regular nightmares since her cat went missing and her 11-year-old son Macauley, who has autism and ADHD, is "absolutely devastated" by the loss.
She said: "I came down that morning and she wasn't there so I just assumed she had gone out to go to the toilet.
"After the first 24 hours, it became apparent she was missing so I went to the neighbours, put posters up and posted on Facebook.
"There's no way she would have got lost on her own, she's been here in the same house for nine years. Someone has taken her maliciously.
"I really do believe somebody is taking the cats, locking them in their property or doing whatever to them because no-one has had a happy ending."
A month after her cat had been reported missing, Ms Chamberlain started receiving calls from two men who claimed they were holding her pet hostage, and would kill it unless she handed them cash.
She continued: "I received three or four calls from two blokes speaking together on the phone. I think they had Manchester accents.
"They said they had found my cat, and were keeping it in their garden shed. They asked for my address, but I said I would go and pick her up from them.
"They asked about reward money, and said they would drop it off at a local vet once the money had been paid into their account.
"They said that if I didn't put £500 in their bank, they would kill my cat. They were stupid enough to give me their bank account details, thinking I was going to pay.
"The details were then traced to a woman in Cumbria who had no criminal connections.
"It's been so heartbreaking, it's been awful. To start with I felt guilty about not paying them the money.
"Every single night, if I do manage to get to sleep, I have terrible nightmares. We've also had a lot of prank calls and texts which is not helping."
Ms Chamberlain's son has been struggling to cope with the loss of his beloved cat.
She said: "My son has autism and ADHD, he's absolutely devastated because our cat has grown up with him.
"He's really struggling with the loss."
A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "We were called at about 11.45pm on January 2, 2023 with a report of blackmail.
"A woman was asked to pay money to have her missing cat returned.
"Following a full investigation, this case has been filed pending further or new information, at which point it may be reopened."
