A Black Isle couple are appealing to the public to help in the hunt for their missing moggy, who it is thought may have hitched a lift in a van to a part of Inverness.
Siamese cat Leo went missing more than seven weeks ago when its owners, Paul and Vicki Nairn, noticed he had failed to come home for his usual evening cuddles.
It is thought that six-year-old Leo jumped into a transit van which was parked outside their house in Rosemarkie.
They believe that the cat, which usually ventures only about 100 yards from the house, somehow managed to get inside the vehicle and hide underneath the passenger seat.
But the driver of the van, who was carrying out exterior electrical work on their home at the time, is based in the Culduthel area of the city, and it seems that Leo may have ended up there.
The owners have received about 20 responses through social media of potential sightings, most of which have come from the Culduthel and Lochardil areas of the city.
They have followed up every lead and handed out door-to-door leaflets in these areas. Local volunteers, many of whom are dog or cat owners, have also taken part in the search.
Leo also had an excursion six weeks earlier when he jumped inside the back of a parcel delivery van. However, when it pulled up outside another house in the village, the cat jumped out and ran into the nearby Fairy Glen.
Mr Nairn, who works for NHS Highland, said: “The problem is he has a light brown body with dark ears and a dark tail, which makes him difficult to see in the dark.
“We are asking everyone to continue to report their sightings. Just making contact and saying you have possibly seen our cat will be a big help. The difficulty is not knowing where he is but we refuse to give up.”