'And then there is the almost pitiful sight of Mrs McCann clutching Madeleine's favourite cuddly toy. Was I alone in wondering whether that was for comfort or because it was what the PR advisers suggested?'
Andrew Pierce, Telegraph 08 September 2007
'Gerry paused over Madeleine, who – a typical doctor’s observation, this – was lying almost in "the recovery position" with Cuddle Cat, the toy her godfather, John Corner, had bought her, and her comfort blanket up near her head, and Gerry thought how gorgeous, how lovely-looking she was and how lucky he was.'
David James Smith Timesonline 16 December 2007
Kate sniffing/kissing Cuddle Cat gallery
Jon Corner on Cuddle Cat and DNA, 09 September 2007 (No longer available online)
Jon Corner, a godfather of one of the McCanns’ children, said: "The Cuddle Cat was reeking with Madeleine’s DNA. That easily explains why DNA has been found in the hire car and on clothing that Kate bought after Madeleine disappeared."
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According to a report below, Kate washed Cuddle Cat 5 days after Madeleine's disappearance and water destroys DNA.
'Cuddle Cat' eases mum's pain
Source| The Sun (No longer available online)
Published: 09 May 2007
Distraught mum Kate McCann presses little Madeleine's favourite toy to her lips as she prays for her daughter's safe return.
The 38-year-old has carried fluffy pink plaything "Cuddle Cat" everywhere for the past five days, pinning it to her handbag and taking it to church in Praia da Luz, the Algarve.
A source said: "It's her way of keeping something of Madeleine close to her. Any mother can imagine how important it has become."
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We all hope for a miracle for Maddy
Source| Telegraph (No longer available online)
By Liz Hunt
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 10/05/2007
In the frame
It is grubby now, a little battered and undoubtedly tear-stained. But the pink soft toy that Kate McCann has hugged close to her over this interminable week, the only remaining physical link with her daughter, is becoming the focus for the thoughts, fears, prayers and dwindling hopes of all of us.
Madeleine McCann christened it the "Cuddle Cat", according to a relative. It is the toy she wanted when she was upset and frightened, when she felt in need of a cuddle. And it is all the more poignant because each of us will know a child who takes unfathomable comfort from something similar; the "huggy" blanket, however grimy, that a toddler refuses to be separated from at bedtime, or an ancient bear of indeterminate breed that comes into its own when tiredness swamps a four-year-old.
To learn that Maddy's precious toy was left behind in the bedroom of the McCann's holiday apartment from where she was abducted last Thursday is all the more heart-breaking.
Whatever fragments of comfort it gives her shattered mother to have something of her daughter's to clutch while she waits for news, she will be wishing fervently that Maddy was holding it instead. If ever this little girl needed her Cuddle Cat it is now.
In this paper yesterday, Ray Wyre, an expert in sexual crime, raised the faint possibility that a lonely woman, perhaps one who had lost a child herself, was responsible for Maddy's abduction. Let us hope so. The alternative - that she is the victim of paedophiles, an individual or a ring - is too horrible to contemplate.
Instead, we are distracting ourselves with the failings of the Portuguese police, with possible sightings here and there, with prowlers spotted at the Mark Warner resort, appeals by celebrity footballers and with the fierce debate about the rights and wrongs of leaving young children on their own.
Studying the photographs showing the McCann's ground-floor apartment and the restaurant where they ate tapas while their children slept, my first reaction was that it was a distance too far. But every parent I raised this with disagreed. As my colleague, Cassandra Jardine, wrote on Saturday, they were all united by the terrifying thought of "There but for the grace of..."
Now, almost a week on, attitudes are hardening. Yesterday, BBC Breakfast Television invited Cassandra back after an appearance at the weekend triggered a torrent of emails from viewers who took issue with her. She showed me a card from a woman signing herself "A mother and grandmother" who said bluntly: "The McCann's were wrong."
But this, as I said, is a distraction. No one who has any real feeling for this family would presume to judge. Kate and Gerry McCann will be judging themselves every agonising minute. And with every minute that passes, the possibility that Maddy has been abducted by a paedophile who was watching the McCann family becomes more likely.
I hope for a miracle. I hope her name will never be added to the tragic roster that includes Susan Maxwell, Mark Tildesley, Jason Swift and Rosie Palmer. But if it is, then we will be preoccupied once more with paedophiles and how society should deal with them, from the men who download "kiddie porn" to ruthless, cunning and predatory killers such as Roy Whiting who murdered Sarah Payne.
Some years ago, I interviewed a paedophile, a man who knew what he did or wanted to do was wrong, but who spoke so eloquently of his daily struggle with the urges dictating his life that I found some small well of sympathy despite myself. Looking at the pictures of Kate McCann, her face buried in her daughter's Cuddle Cat, it is hard to recall that I ever felt even the stirrings of compassion for the kind of person capable of generating such torment.
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Memories of a lost daughter
Source| Timesonline (No longer available online)
05 August 2007
Kate McCann speaking last Wednesday about how the abduction of Madeleine has affected her and her memories of her daughter.
Cuddle Cat
"I was desperately hoping that Madeleine would be back before the cat got washed. In the end Cuddle Cat smelt of suntan lotion and everything. I forgot what colour it was. "It was special to Madeleine, she took it to bed every night. If she was upset or tired she had Cuddle Cat. It was special to her so it's special to me.
Talking about the night she went missing, she said: "I can't remember when I picked Cuddle Cat up. I don't think I did touch Cuddle Cat. I knew straight away a crime had been committed, we had no doubt about that.
"I look back sometimes and think 'you didn't do that badly.' We were very conscious of not touching things.
"I can't actually remember when I collected Cuddle Cat."
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Madeleine's favourite 'Cuddle Cat' toy was 'placed out of her reach'
Source| Daily Mail (Link)
Last updated at 15:54pm on 12 August 2007
Madeleine's favourite toy, her pink 'Cuddle Cat, was taken from her arms and placed beyond her reach by her kidnapper, according to new reports.
This important evidence could point to the fact that Madeleine was actually taken alive.
According to a report in the Sunday Mirror, Kate McCann knew instantly that Madeleine had been abducted when she saw that the toy had been moved from her sleeping daughter's arms and placed on a ledge way beyond the four-year-old's reach.
The paper quotes a police source as saying: "When Kate tucked Madeleine up in bed earlier in the evening she had the toy tightly in her arms as she did every night.
"So Kate was terrified when she spotted it had been left in a place too high for her to reach.
"Kate also noticed the window was wide open and the shutters jammed up.
"It was because of these things that she had no doubt Madeleine had been kidnapped and she ran out to scream for help."
There was no sign of DNA or fingerprints left on the toy.
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Cuddle Cat placed out of reach
Source| Sunday Mirror (No longer available online)
By Lori Campbell in Praia da Luz
Published: 12 August 2007
Missing Madeleine McCann's favourite pink Cuddle Cat toy was taken from her arms as she slept and placed beyond her reach by her kidnapper. That is why police are certain Madeleine was snatched while she was asleep - and was NOT killed or injured in the holiday apartment.
When her mum Kate, 38, tucked Madeleine into bed, the four-year-old was cuddling the toy - but it was later found placed on a ledge that Madeleine could not have reached.
There is also further "concrete evidence" that Madeleine was still ALIVE when she left the holiday apartment. Her kidnapper had a window of just five minutes to strike - from when dad Gerry last checked on the children until family friend Jane Tanner saw a man carrying away a child she is sure was Madeleine wrapped in a blanket. The new revelations rubbish reports in Portuguese newspapers this week that she was murdered or died in an accident inside the villa. And they come as local police Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa ruled Gerry and Kate out of the inquiry - and admitted for the first time Madeleine could be dead.
Now, the Sunday Mirror can give a true picture of what happened when Kate found her daughter missing. We can reveal:
Police have specific evidence from the apartment that she was still alive
Madeleine was kidnapped as the toy she had fallen asleep with was left on a ledge placed too high for a child to reach
There was a window of less than five minutes for a kidnapper to pounce - not enough time to kill her and clean up
Police do not believe blood found in the apartment was Madeleine's as it was not consistent with signs of a struggle
The patio doors were unlocked but the intruder used the window to escape with Madeleine as the shutters were forced up.
We can also reveal that devastated Kate was reduced to tears several times by the aggressive questioning of Portuguese police this week. And yesterday the parents were hit by further cruel claims in Portuguese papers linking them to Madeleine's disappearance on May 3.
But our dramatic information confirms Madeleine was most likely to have been abducted by a stranger who had watched the family's routine for up to four days.
And it shows Portuguese police from the beginning have had firm evidence Madeleine was still alive when she was taken from the ground-floor apartment.
The McCanns were told in a secret meeting with police within days of Madeleine going missing what this evidence is. They have been unable to discuss it publicly in case it jeopardises the investigation - and have even been banned from telling close friends or family.
Kate has refused to say where she found the Cuddle Cat toy when she returned to the villa in Praia da Luz at about 10pm to find her daughter's bed empty.
But she has hinted the bedroom was left in such a way that she knew almost instantly Madeleine had been kidnapped.
Our police source said: "When Kate tucked Madeleine up in bed earlier in the evening, she had toy tightly in her arms as she did every night. So Kate was terrified when she spotted it had been left in a place too high for her to reach. Kate also noticed the window was wide opened and the shutters jammed up. It was because of these things that she had no doubt Madeleine had been kidnapped and she ran out to scream for help."
The Sunday Mirror has been told there was a window of opportunity of less than five minutes from the last time Gerry checked on their child to the reported sighting by family friend Jane of her being carried away by a man. Our source said: "Although there has been much speculation about a 'lost hour' in which Madeleine could have been taken, it was actually less than five minutes. The kidnapping must have been meticulously planned. Police found no fingerprints or DNA on the Cuddle Cat or in the room, indicating the intruder wore gloves.
There was so little time that whoever took Madeleine must have been watching the family closely for several days so they knew exactly when to strike.
"Kate and Gerry left Madeleine and the twins Sean and Amelie alone every evening of their week-long holiday to eat dinner 50 yards away and followed the same routine of checking on them. The kidnapper would have known this."
The patio doors at the back of the apartment were left unlocked so Kate and Gerry could check on the children easily. But police are unsure if the intruder used them to slip in or if the shutters to the front window were forced open from outside. Our source added: "Whichever way the kidnapper entered, they left by the window because it was left wide open and the shutters were forced up."
Sniffer dogs flown over to Portugal last week by British police were taken into the apartment and found specks of blood missed in an initial search.
The results of DNA tests are expected this week but detectives are convinced it does not belong to Madeleine because if it was fresh, it would have been spotted when they first scoured the apartment.
But that has not stopped the Portuguese media leading a hurtful smear campaign against Kate and Gerry which reached a new low with the suggestion Madeleine was killed inside the apartment and that Kate was somehow involved.
The spiteful rumours forced Kate and Gerry to insist they would not be bullied out of Portugal. But yesterday there were more cruel accusations as they marked 100 days since Madeleine disappeared.
Portuguese newspaper Sol alleged the toddler died in the apartment before her parents went to dinner. It says British sniffer dogs picked up traces of her corpse and signs she was moved.
An "unnamed specialist" told the newspaper: "For the dogs to detect a body, it would have to stay in place where it died for a minimum of two hours."
The report also alleged the McCanns' silver Renault Scenic hire car may have been used to get rid of Madeleine's body.
A McCann spokesman yesterday dismissed the allegations as "complete nonsense".
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Sunday Mirror report (No longer available online)
EDIT
But doubt was cast on reports that detectives wanted to impound Madeleine's favourite toys, including her Cuddle Cat, for further forensic tests.
Kate, 39, has kept the Cuddle Cat constantly by her side as a poignant symbol since Madeleine vanished 133 days ago.
The toy has already been tested by Portuguese scientists who used it to obtain a sample of the youngster's DNA.
Any further tests would done by a laboratory with greater expertise.
But the Forensic Science Service - which found Madeleine's hairs, blood and bodily fluids in the McCanns' rented Renault Scenic and apartment - has not been put on stand-by to receive any fresh samples.
Kate washed the Cuddle Cat five days after Madeleine went missing saying it was smeared with sand and sun cream.
Gerry's sister Philomena said it was cleaned again two months ago because it was filthy after being carried around.
Police sources questioned Kate's decision to wash the toy so soon after Madeleine's standby to receive fresh samples.
Kate washed the Cuddle Cat five days after Madeleine disappeared, saying it was smeared with sand and sun cream.
Philomena said it was cleaned again two months ago because it was filthy after being carried around. Police sources questioned Kate's decision to wash the toy so soon.
A former Scotland Yard detective said: "It's the last thing I'd expect a mother who is devastated at losing her child to do."
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The Sun report (No longer available online)
17 November 2007
At around 10pm Kate went to check. When she arrived, she found the bedroom door still open.
She stepped into the room and saw the window and shutter were up and Madeleine was missing. Her cuddle cat was on the bed along with the blanket Maddie had been snuggled in.
A source said: "Kate ran round the apartment in total panic checking every wardrobe, under the beds, the bathroom, everywhere.
She then ran screaming to the tapas bar telling her friends ‘Madeleine’s gone, Madeleine’s gone, someone’s taken her!’ All hell broke loose. Chaos erupted, everyone got up and ran to the apartment."
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Portuguese police want to seize Madeleine's Cuddle Cat again
Source| Daily Mail (Link)
Last updated at 18:13pm on 6th January 2008
Police in Portugal have begun a fresh trawl for evidence which could incriminate Gerry and Kate McCann.
Among the items they are said to want to seize is their missing daughter Madeleine's Cuddle Cat toy, which was examined by forensic teams in the summer. They have also demanded Mrs McCann's diary.
Police were also said to want to seize clothes and other items - including the pink soft toy Cuddle Cat - on which trained sniffer dogs allegedly picked up the "scent of death".
Detectives have long questioned why Mrs McCann was so attached to Cuddle Cat and why, if it was her last link with Madeleine, she allowed it to be washed.
They have suggested the toy was cleaned to destroy any potential DNA evidence, such as blood. Mrs McCann said it had simply become too grubby.
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We're Going on a Bear Hunt
With thanks to Nigel at mccannfiles
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