A heartbroken hound is cryin’ all the time for his playmate and best friend, a ginger tabby cat called Brian, who disappeared without trace earlier this month.

Six-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Fletcher is “off his food” and whines as he searches the house for the 18-month old kitty, who left the family home in Settle Road, Harold Hill, on May 15 and never returned.

Now Fletcher’s owner Jan Veness is urging residents to keep their eyes peeled for the missing moggy.

“I’m really worried about Fletcher,” said Jan, 62, of Kenilworth Avenue, Harold Hill. “He absolutely adored Brian. Now he’s gone, he’s really upset and just wants him back. They have a special bond.”

Brian is one of a litter of four kittens adopted from a stray by Jan’s daughter Claire Timcke and her husband Colin.

The fearless moggy became firm friends with Fletcher, who stays with the Timckes during the week, soon after birth and when together the furry pair are inseparable.

“The other cats were scared of Fletcher but not Brian. He would barge around him and touch his nose with his paw.

“They would always curl up next to each other. Then the cat just disappeared.”

Claire and Jan have been taking Fletcher for walks around Harold Hill and in nearby Dagnam Park in the hope he will sniff out his absent friend.

Jan said Brian is a “very friendly” cat who is likely to approach people or may have become trapped somewhere.

“He was a homely, friendly cat and we cannot understand why he would have roamed,” she added. “There have been a lot of cats going missing in Harold Hill recently, which is worrying.”

The family is offering a reward for information into Brian’s whereabouts. Call Colin on 07759706192