Cat trapped in guitar string snare

Scottish SPCA appeal for information after two-year-old cat Kizzy, pictured, was caught in a snare made of a guitar string in Kirkcaldy.

Animal welfare experts are appealing for information after a pet cat was seriously hurt after becoming trapped in a home made snare made out of a guitar string in Kirkcaldy.

The Scottish SPCA said two-year-old cat Kizzy, pictured above, was discovered by her owner in a wooded area behind Dysart Recycling Point in the town’s Stewart Street.

The snare was set around one foot off the ground, and the wire had tightened around Kizzy’s neck and leg, leaving him in pain and with horrific wounds.

Owner Leanne Montgomery, 28, who lives in Stewart Street with her two children, told the BBC Scotland news website how she heard her cat’s cries for help.

She said: “I let him out on the Sunday morning but he never came home at night and when he still wasn’t home the next day we went out to look for him.

“I was calling his name and then heard him shrieking and we found him in the snare so I ran to my aunt’s house for pliers while my boyfriend held Kizzy’s weight so he wouldn’t be hanging by the nylon.

“When he was being cut free I couldn’t look and I was crying as I was terrified he would die and the kids dote on him.

“The vet said from his wounds that he had been like that for about 24 hours and that maggots were starting to grow in his cuts.”

She said she thought Kizzy was going to lose his paw as there was no pulse in his leg when they found him.

Scottish SPCA Inspector John Chisholm said: “Leanne was obviously distressed to find out that her pet cat had been snared, resulting in very painful injuries to his mouth and leg.

“Thankfully Kizzy was discovered early enough to be saved and he was treated at St Clair’s vets, Kirkcaldy. However, we have attended many incidents where domestic cats have been killed as a result of being caught in both legally and illegally set snares.

“By their very nature snares are indiscriminate in the type of animal they catch and in this particular instance, the snare was deliberately set in a residential area putting both domestic pets and wild animals at risk.”

The charity warned that anyone found guilty of setting illegal snares could face up to six months in prison, a £5,000 fine or both.

A charity spokeswoman added: “Anyone with information relating to the snaring incident, which took place on Monday 26 October, should contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline: 03000 999 999.”