TWO blind children are devastated after their cat which was used as part of their therapy disappeared when they returned from their holiday.

Brothers, Mikey De Freitas, 11 and eight-year-old Rudy from Walmer Close, Romford are distraught after their blue point persian Cat Duke went missing from a friend’s house while they were on holiday on Saturday December 17.

The boys’ mum, Lesley said: “It is devastating and it has completely ruined our Christmas because the whole way through the festive season we were looking at the weather forecasts and just thinking how he would be coping being out there in the cold and we even went out on Christmas Day looking for him so it just did not feel like Christmas without him.”

The boys, who were both born blind because of a genetic condition returned from a week away in Portugal with their mum and sister, Maya 14 on Christmas Eve and were told by their friend who was looking after the four-year-old cat at her home in Silver Way, Romford that it was missing.

Lesley’s friend claims that she last saw Duke on December 17, when he was hiding under the Christmas tree.

She went to get a camera to take a picture of him, but when she returned to the room he had disappeared.

After a full search of the house, Duke was no where to be seen.

Lesley said: “We didn’t want to leave him with any cat sitters because we thought they all looked cold and we decided to leave them with my friend because she had cats of her own and we even took him over a few days to get settled.”

Lesley brought the cat in April after advice from the National Blind Children’s Charity that it would help to improve the boys’ social skills and give them greater independence while their names are on the waiting lists for a guide dog.

Lesley said: “He has been a little friend to them and he just always use to get up on their laps and cuddle them, he is just like a baby and the kids are just missing him.

“Blind children get a lot from having a cat because it helps them to establish their own independence because they realise that there is someone else that they have to look after.”

A family friend has given the family one of their kittens to help the boys cope better with the loss of Duke.

The family have also distributed posters and have already received one sighting of him in Swan Mews.

They are also urging people to check in their gardens and sheds, anyone with information should email lesleydefreitas@hotmail.com.