Despite 90% of British people allowing their cat to wander around freely day and night, there is the constant possibility that they will be lost but not lost in the conventional sense meaning that the cat cannot find his or her way home. They will have been lost by being killed or stolen. And here’s the deal: nobody knows what happens. Cats wander around at night furtively. People often don’t see them. Cat thieves wander around in a similar manner. People don’t recognise or see them as well. We don’t know how many cats regarded as lost are actually stolen. This is a crime which goes on undetected and is ongoing. The police are powerless. Nothing really can be done other than to keep domestic cats inside which is a culture issue. And certainly, there is a very strong culture in the UK to allow domestic cats to go outside. It appears that British cat owners are prepared to take the risk on behalf of their cat that they are going to be “lost” and that means lost permanently. It means lost to them, the owner. They never come back. They may end up in a European country on the continent where they are perhaps sold if they are purebred cats.
