A team of pet detectives are descending on Kingston to search for a missing house cat today (April 17).

Animal Search UK said their professional team were contacted by Tim McMurrough, whose five year old Russian Blue house cat, Oskar, went missing from the family home on Wednesday April 10.

In a statement announcing their live investigations occurring Wednesday, Animal Search UK said that their team of pet detectives leading the operation would be led by ex-police officer Tom Watkins.

Animal Search UK said: "The team of pet detectives, led by former police officer Tom Watkins, who has over 18 years of investigation experience, are often requested to carry out door to door enquiries or can assist with posters, leaflets, advice and expert support for owners.

"The service operates a 24 hour Freephone number for members of the public to call with anonymous information (if necessary) or straightforward sightings of the missing pet."

With 20 years of operations under their belts, Animal Search UK claim to be the UK's largest missing pet organization, and boast over 80,000 volunteer contributors according to data published on their website.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's search, Mr Watson said that the team tend to focus on the area around an owner's home, since most missing pets are often found within a mile of their owner's place of residence.

Mr Watkins said: "Most missing pets are found within a mile of home – the challenge faced by owners, is making sure that as many people as possible know that their pet has gone missing, and encouraging them to be vigilant in keeping an eye out for them."

The pet detective added that his team had worked to collect as much data on Oskar before commencing the search.

Mr Watkins said: "We’ll make sure that we have as much background as possible before we commence our investigation.

"We’ll check details about their normal routine, and their usual patterns of movement in the area."

Anyone with news, information or who has a sighting of Oskar can ring the Animal Search UK free confidential helpline on 0800 4 320 340 and quote case ref: ALP367470 or search on the website www.animalsearchuk.co.uk for pet ref: ALP367470

Lines are open 24 hours a day and you can remain anonymous if you wish. Alternatively, email information to info@animalsearchuk.co.uk