A UK finance manager who spent money swindled from his company on pedigree kittens and a house has been jailed.

Matthew Farrimond will spend four years behind bars after he stole $650,000 from the construction firm he worked at.

Farrimond, 41, used the pretence of charity donations to steal the money, the Manchester Evening News reported.

He used the money to buy a new house in Lancashire, holidays and pedigree kittens.

He initially denied the allegations of fraud, but changed his plea to guilty at a pre-trial hearing on June 1.

"Farrimond’s role was to safeguard the financial interests of the company he worked for, but he was the biggest threat to their hard-earned funds," Police Constable Kate Riley said.

"That he would deceitfully take money from the company he worked for is one thing, but he should be ashamed of the fact he hid his fraud by pretending to pay charities."