A petition has been launched by a woman in Maida Vale who unknowingly bought a sick kitten which later died.

Dianna Voyatzis was recovering from MRSA when she bought a kitten from Gumtree in May last year and named her Ghost.

Ham & High: Ghost who died eight months after she was bought onlineGhost who died eight months after she was bought online (Image: Dianna Voyatzis)

Sensing Ghost was sick, Dianna took her to the vet and was told the kitten was dying. By December, Ghost had passed away.

Still grieving for her pet, the 23-year-old has launched a petition urging the government to require all kittens be checked by a vet and vaccinated before they are sold.

She said: "Currently, the law is if you have three or more litters a year, you need a licence. Under licence agreements, you need to have your kittens checked.

"Too many people are slipping through this as they claim they do not have three or more litters and due to this they are selling sick kittens."

Ham & High: Ghost on owner Dianna's shoulderGhost on owner Dianna's shoulder (Image: Dianna Voyatzis)

Dianna, who lives with her parents, two brothers and an "older cat", explained: "I agreed to buy a long-haired kitten but on the day of collection, I received a short-haired kitten.

"At first I thought 'shame on you,' but she was so cute, so beautiful, I instantly fell in love with her.

"Due to being high risk of the virus and being in everyday, I spent all my time loving Ghost."

Just before the Covid lockdown, Dianna went into hospital after a rash appeared on her wrist and a drip was put into her arm to treat it.

She later contracted the MRSA superbug, which left her with little to no movement in her right arm for months and is still tender.

"Ghost was very loving. I couldn't move my arm so when I wanted to take her upstairs she would jump on my shoulder. It's like she knew my arm was hurting me.

Ham & High: Ghost would sit on Dianna Voyatzis' shoulderGhost would sit on Dianna Voyatzis' shoulder (Image: Dianna Voyatzis)

"Because of my arm I was unable to take her to the vet as soon as I'd have liked but when I did, the vet came out and said: 'I am really sorry but your kitten is dying.'

"I couldn’t believe this. She had a heart murmur and her stomach was full of fluid. I originally thought I was overfeeding her."

The kitten seller repaid Dianna the cost of Ghost after she threatened legal action.

"By changing the law and making it [compulsory] that all kittens are checked before they are sold, it will stop people selling sick kittens," she added.

To help Dianna reach 100,000 signature go to https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/561785