Fears grow for famous cat after six weeks missing

The owner of a cat with thousands of global followers on social media said she felt "sick with worry" as he had not been seen for six weeks.

Max is well known for roaming his home town of Brightlingsea, Essex and even starred in his own calendar.

His owner Georgie Dunt normally tracks him with a digital tag in his collar, but he lost it at one of his regular spots in the town.

"There was a little joke at first… maybe he knows and he's gone and done a disappearing act, but it's now six weeks and we're starting to worry," she said.

"He's very entitled - he literally thinks that every single house is his to come inside, eat the food if he can find any, jump on people's beds," Dunt said.

She set up Max's Missions on Facebook as a way of keeping track of his movements, which has now amassed more than 6,000 followers from all over the world, including Australia and New Zealand.

The seven-year-old tabby is notorious for jumping into people's car boots before being driven away - reaching Ipswich and Luton on previous occasions - but he has never gone missing for as long as this.

"When I think about it, I start to feel sick with worry," Dunt said.

There have been several false sightings, but Max's owner has not given up hope, even if he appears to no longer be in the town.

"Everyone knows him, and I know he's got hundreds of people with their eyes open looking for him, which makes me feel he's not here [in Brightlingsea] anymore," she said.

"I'm just being very positive and thinking, he's done this before, he'll turn up, someone's going to spot him, and someone's going to get in contact."

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