It comes as campaigners are calling for cats to be included in a new criminal offence aimed at cracking down on dog thefts in the Kept Animals Bill.Cats are family too and we will continue to campaign to have them included in this new Pet Abduction offence.

Ministers have yet to confirm what sort of penalties those convicted of pet abduction could face but said the new offence would prioritise the welfare of pets as sentient beings and recognise the distress to the animal in addition to its owner.

He said: “Pet theft can leave families in utter turmoil and have serious welfare implications for animals ripped away from everything they know.“The new Pet Abduction Offence will acknowledge the seriousness of this crime and we hope will encourage courts to hand down much tougher sentences to pet thieves,” he added.

As demand for pets grew with people forced to spend more time at home during the pandemic, the cost of dogs and cats rose sharply, and soon organised crime groups were coordinating pet thefts to exploit the inflated prices.