Keele researcher's report reveals 14% increase in cat theft and abduction in 2025

A report written by a Keele researcher for a DEFRA-compliant UK pet microchip database has revealed that cat theft and abduction rose by 14% in the first full year of the Pet Abduction Act 2024, yet just three cases (less than 1%) ended in a charge or summons. 

Dr Daniel Allen, who compiled the Pet Database Theft and Abduction Report 2026 which has been published today, was a driving force behind the campaign which led to the Pet Abduction Act 2024 being written into law, which made sentencing guidelines more severe for those convicted of pet theft. 

However, Dr Allen's new report, which draws on Freedom of Information data from dozens of police forces across the UK, finds that pet theft remains a low-risk crime, despite the new law recognising dogs and cats as more than property. 

Some of the key findings from the report include: 

• The number of dogs stolen or abducted rose 5% to almost 1,200 in 2025. A suspect was named in 44% of dog cases, but only 11 (1.4%) resulted in a charge or summons. 

• Where a location was recorded, three-quarters of pets (74% of cats / 73% of dogs) were taken from the owner’s home or garden. In contrast, only 4% of dogs were taken from a public place, such as tied up outside a shop, from a vehicle, or while being walked in a park.  

• According to the report, among forces that supplied recovery data, one in five (21%) stolen or abducted dogs were recovered in 2025, up from 18% in 2024. For cats, the figure fell to 15%, from 17%. 

Dr Daniel Allen, Senior Lecturer at Keele University and Author of The Pet Database Pet Theft and Abduction Report 2026, said: “The report demonstrates that the introduction of the Pet Abduction Act 2024 has failed to stop the rise in pet theft across the UK and that the pattern of low criminal charges creates minimal deterrence for offenders. While a step in the right direction, the new law has not yet translated into meaningful improvements in enforcement or criminal justice outcomes.  

“Offending was heavily concentrated in residential settings for both species, with this pattern particularly pronounced for cats in 2025. For cats, proving criminal intent remains especially difficult because they frequently roam freely and may disappear for reasons unrelated to theft or abduction. This creates additional evidential barriers for police and helps explain the persistently poor outcomes in cat cases.” 

Indy Sangha, CEO of Pet Database, added: “Owners are doing everything they can to protect their pets on walks, while the data shows thieves are coming to the front door. When a pet is taken, the microchip is often the clearest proof of who it belongs to, yet a fifth of owners don’t know it’s their job to keep those details up to date. We back Dr Allen’s call for police to record microchip status in every pet theft case, so we can finally see how many stolen and abducted pets could have come home.”