Thieves used an injured cat to con their way into a disabled woman's home and steal her handbag.

The two appeared at the door of the 61-year-old's home in the Lower Grange area of Bradford carrying the cat, which was pouring blood from face wounds. They claimed it had been hit by a car and needed a vet.

The woman, who suffers from rheumatoid and osteo arthritis, allowed them to go through her bungalow to reach a neighbour who took the cat to a nearby vet's practice.

The two then returned and asked if they could wash the blood off their hands and clothing.

When they left, the householder, who has difficulty walking, found her handbag, containing about £30 and two wallets full of old family photographs, was missing.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said: "It's not so much the money - it's the photos that have upset me so much. They mean so much to me and I don't have any copies of them.

"It's really unnerving. They seemed so genuine. It's my own fault really for letting them in but they had the injured cat with them and I love cats."

Simon Thomas, a partner in the Gatehouse veterinary practice in Allerton Road, said the ginger cat had a severe cut across its face which was caused by a sharp object. But he added: "It is probably impossible to say how the wound occurred. We have treated it and we would like to trace its owner."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.