'Devastated' Buckingham woman begs people to help find missing kitten

A Buckingham woman has been left 'devastated' after her kitten went missing, and she's begging everyone to keep their eyes open for the seven-month-old youngster.

Short-haired Max is one of three black kittens from the same litter owned by Alison Kelly and her husband Paul Armitage.

But on Thursday evening, Max failed to come return to his home in rural Stowe.

Alison said: "The kittens have been going out for about three or four weeks so they've been getting used to the area, just exploring.

"We live at the end of a long track, so he's not near a busy road.

"We've been out searching literally the whole area.

"We've got farmland all around basically, and we're right opposite Stowe and where the farm is there, and the lake and the little bridge where we go walking.

"It's hard to know exactly how far to widen the search."

Alison and Paul have searched high and low, and even borrowed a thermal imaging camera from a friend.

Alison has also asked her neighbours, messaged all her local friends and put up a poster on social media

She said: "Luckily, he's a big strong kitten for seven months - they're not tiny at all, they're very healthy - so I think if he's out there and he hasn't got badly hurt he's probably still OK."

"But we're devastated. I'm a teacher and I can barely focus. I'm completely beyond myself."

Family, friends and neighbours have all helped.

Alison said: "People have been amazing. All my friends are constantly messaging, I've had flowers to say 'You'll be OK', and a friend is coming round today with her gentle dog to see if maybe on a lead he can sniff the kitten out."

And she added: "It's hard to know what else to do. It's hard to know where else to look.

"I feel like we scoured the area but he could be anywhere. He could have been got by a fox.

"And there are lots of builders around, and that was my concern, there are builders in the house next door. They apparently checked their vehicles and I've been round where they were building, again and again

"I've spoken to the postman, I've spoken to the Hermes driver.

"So I couldn't really have tried more."

Alison has even had 50 leaflets printed to distribute locally, to alert anyone who doesn't use social media

"We're completely desperate," she said.

Max is all black, with short hair, round amber eyes, a long tail, a round face and a squeaky voice. He is microchipped and neutered.

Anyone who thinks they have seen Max can call Alison on 07711 069186.