Pet owners are unaware their pet could lose their European passport following Brexit

Three quarters of British pet owners have no idea their furry friends could lose their European passport in the event of a no deal Brexit, a study has found.

EU nationals can currently travel freely with their cat, dog or ferret if it has a European pet passport.

But leaving the EU without a deal is likely to lead to the UK getting unlisted or 'third country' status, meaning UK-issued pet passports would be invalid.

This means pet owners may need to complete several weeks of paperwork and animal health checks before being granted permission to take their companion into Europe.

Commissioned by Hotels.com, the research of 2,000 pet owners found half of those whose animal has a passport will holiday in the UK more regularly if their cat or dog is unable to travel overseas.