A DEVOTED cat owner has helped change the way Dartford Council disposes of dead animals after sharing her nightmare search with News Shopper.

Rachel Wyatt, 29, had rescued a cat from a Malaysian rubbish tip whilst researching her PHD, and nursed the moggy back to health.

However Pika went missing in November from the Cambridge University student’s home in  Little Queen Street and she has been hunting for the cat ever since - even employing a pet detective who discovered a similar-coloured cat had been run over nearby.

Whilst Ms Wyatt tried to find out whether it was her pet she was told Dartford Council had no policy when it came to scanning the microchips of dead animals.

Nearby councils including Bexley and Sevenoaks do monitor microchips and after the article was published last month Ms Wyatt has met with representatives and persuaded them to change their policy.

News Shopper: Dartford cat owner slams the council's microchipping policy

A Dartford Council spokesman said: "We have met with Ms Wyatt and discussed the subject of scanning deceased animals for microchips.

"Following the meeting, the council has ordered three scanners to be used by teams around the borough.

"These will be used from now on."

Ms Wyatt told News Shopper: "I discussed the matter with head of waste management Dave Thomas.

"He had a few concerns, and told me they had considered storing the bodies of dead animals on ice, but that it was not practical.

"I reassured him that in most cases, scanning animals actually meant that cleaning staff would have less contact with bereft members of the public, rather than more, because the national microchip register would deliver the messages for them once they were informed of the chip number.

"I am, however, still searching for Pika."

For more information on the search, visit youtube.com/watch?v=gVW-d2H6Jio