A FAMILY who lost nearly everything they owned in a fire are praying that a lost pet survived the flames and is being cared for by someone nearby.

The family, who did not want to be named, were left with nothing after the blaze destroyed their home on Stalbridge Road, Crewe, last Monday.

Their two pet dogs were killed by poisonous smoke as they were unable to escape, and for a time it was feared that their cat had been lost as well.

But no trace of the cat, called Frankenstein, was ever found.

The family believe that "Frankie" might have bolted in fear from the blaze.

Now the 15-year-old daughter, Krissie, is spending her spare time searching for the animal, which is all they have left.

"The fire destroyed everything we had," said her mother. "The landlord was about to do some work on the house, and we had stored all our belongings in the room where the fire started."

Friends and family have rallied round since to offer them clothes and a few bare essentials, and they have been found emergency accommodation in the town.

But the search for Frankenstein, named after the cat in the television show "Red Dwarf", goes on.

Krissie has been putting up posters in the area and the local animal rescue has been alerted.

"It is important for us to find her, because she's all we have left, " said Krissie's mum.

Frankenstein is just under a year old, but small for her age. She is black, with a white patch under her neck and between her legs, with copper green eyes.

Before the fire she was wearing a blue collar with a white paw print motif and a bell.

Anyone with any information can contact the family on 0421 993353, or come into the Crewe Guardian offices.

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