A FAMILY which caught their pet allegedly being catnapped on CCTV have been reunited with their cat after police found the incident was a genuine mistake.

The Gazette reported on Tuesday how Oscar’s horrified owner Siobhan Lee feared he had been stolen.

CCTV showed a man pulling up in a car outside her home, on the Northfield Estate, off Turner Road, getting out and calling the cat over before picking him up at around 10.30am on Sunday, August 16.

But now Oscar has been found safe and well.

Police enquiries found the cat had been picked up by a couple who thought he was their own cat who had gone missing from a nearby road.

Officers went to see the couple on Thursday and found Oscar looked almost identical to their own cat.

The cat was taken to a vet where a microchip confirmed the cat was Oscar.

Pc Ryan Kent said: "The couple were very upset as they thought they had found their own pet.

“They had well cared for Oscar and even had him booked in to see a vet.

“We were satisfied that they had committed no offences and this was a genuine mistake because the cats are so similar. They are still very concerned for their own cat.”