CCTV recording shows prized pet cat being stolen

Beloved family cat Max, a valuable ten-year-old Russian Blue, went missing from a flat on Lower Gilmore Place, Fountainbrige, after being put out for his evening run.

Owner Malcolm Oswald was initially convinced the cat had been eaten by a fox, until he decided to check the building's CCTV system. When he watched the footage he was shocked to see a car pull up outside the building beside his cat, before a shadowy figure of a woman emerged and wrestled Max into the back of the car.

The footage, recorded at around 11.30pm on Sunday, has now been passed to police, who are said to be treating the incident very seriously.

Mr Oswald, 57, who said the theft had left his family deeply upset, has also offered a reward for information leading to the cat's safe return.

CCTV footage from Malcolm Oswald's camera shows Max, also pictured inset, being grabbed and bundled into a car on Sunday

The flat in Foutainbridge is where Mr Oswald has his business, and he had been staying there for a week due to having foreign guests staying at the family home on Spylaw Road.

He said: "I don't let Max out during the day here, as it's not really a suitable area, but at night this is a nice quiet street. He normally goes out for about half an hour but on Sunday night when I put him out I checked ten minutes later and he was gone.

"By Tuesday, I had decided he had been eaten by a fox or something awful like that. Then I decided to look at the CCTV and I couldn't believe it.

"I'm terrified that this person has taken him away to do something cruel to him."

The CCTV camera is owned by Mr Oswald and was installed to monitor the front door to the building, and he admitted he was surprised the incident was caught on camera.

The grainy footage clearly shows the cat being grabbed by a figure, who initially beckons the animal over. And the cat clearly puts up a struggle, before being picked up and driven away.

Mr Oswald said he had no idea why the animal had been stolen, but admitted it could be for money.

"He is a pedigree cat and cost me about 300 ten years ago, so he is valuable," he said. "But really he is a family cat and my children are just so upset about this. We just want our pet back.

"The police have said they are taking this seriously, but I'm hoping someone will see this and maybe be able to help."

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police appealed for anyone who was in the area at the time, or who has any information about the incident to call 0131-311 3131.