A youngster with learning difficulties is desperate to find his “best friend”, a ginger tom cat who went missing 11 days ago.

One-year-old moggie Lion went out for his usual roam across fields on Sunday, September 18, but did not return home.

Mother-of-two Sian Thomas, 46, of Tangmere Close, Bicester, said: “We bought Lion a year ago so that he could be a friend for our 10-year-old son Ben, who has a severe speech disorder.

“ He has to go to school in Abingdon, which means he has few friends in Bicester.

“The cat is his best friend. They bonded from day one.”

Lion is described is mostly ginger with a white neck and paws and orange eyes. He has a microchip, but no collar.

Anyone who can help should call 07739 479459.