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Cat owners have been warned over a suspicious spate of in Wales. Around 10 cats have disappeared in the Garth Owen area of Newtown, Powys, in the past year. Kelly Healy, who represents the area for Powys council, said many of the disappearances have happened in the past few months, reports .

Ms Healy said: "It's very suspicious behaviour, and somebody may have been taking them." Aldwyth Bates, founder of Powys , told the BBC: "We started to be very suspicious, particularly as it was concentrated in one area over a few months."

Locals have become increasingly concerned about the cat disappearances, and many of the pets remain missing.

According to the County Times, from Newtown are reportedly being trapped before being taken away and dumped miles out of the area in towns and villages.

Mr Bates added: ", of course they do, but this was an abnormal number in a cluster around a certain part of an estate."

Craig Beckerleg's cat, Ringo, went last October and was found several months later by a cat rescue charity in Shrewsbury, more than 30 miles (48 km) away.

Ms Healy, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Newtown, said there was a "pattern" of , saying she knew of 10 people saying theirs had disappeared.

She added: "I am working with authorities to try and get a conviction for these terrible acts of ."

Elsewhere in Wales, last year, a in Cardiff and turned up 150 miles away in Stoke-on-Trent.

Richard, the cat's owner, told Wales Online: "Somebody took her to Bramble and Bear [veterinarian in Staffordshire] where they scanned her and found that she was microchipped.

"The vet then contacted a local where we had registered her missing and then the vet in Stoke-on-Trent rang us.

"Hearing the news I felt very emotional. We were also just amazed she was that far away. There's no way of knowing how she went but we think someone might have taken her intentionally."

Dyfed-Powys Police said: "We have received two reports raising concerns about missing cats in the Garth Owen area of Newtown. Enquiries are ongoing to establish if a criminal offence has occurred."