A WORRIED couple have hit out at a Poole cattery which lost two cats in three weeks – including theirs.

Chris and Karen Dello from Whitecliff are desperately searching for their treasured moggie Zach, a longhaired black male, who went missing from St Agatha’s Cattery in Sea View Road, Upton, last month.

They thought it was a one-off incident – but on their hunt where shocked to come across posters for another cat which went missing from the same place less than three weeks earlier.

Chris, 32, an engineer surveyor, said: “We just couldn’t believe it. When you’ve entrusted your cat to a licensed cattery, paid money for someone to look after them, the very minimum you expect is for the cat to be there when you come back from holiday.”

The couple are searching for hours every day.

“My wife’s in bits about it,” added Chris.

Mel Pettifer, 36, a warehouse manager from Parkstone, said her grey tabby cat Bjorn went missing from St Agatha’s in the first weekend of September, but after days of “traumatic” searching was found.

Cattery owner Ray Cole said the cats had escaped in freak circumstances and that he had never lost a cat in some 30 years in business. He said he believed Bjorn was let out by the children of visiting prospective clients and Zach escaped when a helper brought him a cup of tea while he was cleaning out his cabin.

He told the Daily Echo the cabins were now padlocked, adding: “I spoke to both of them and said: ‘I’m so, so sorry’. I don’t know what else to say. I can’t turn back the clock. This is actually making me ill.”

The cattery has been visited by environmental health officers from Purbeck District Council. In a letter to Mr Cole they said they were of the opinion that his arrangements were “reasonable” prior to the escape of the two cats, and “essentially met” the licence condition that “all reasonable precautions should be taken to prevent illegal access to or escape of the animals”.

It adds: “However, the additional work you have carried out will ensure there is now additional security, which coupled with your increased personal vigilance should ensure further escapes are almost impossible.”