Snare warning from RSPCA

THE RSPCA is warning people who put out snares to control ‘pests’ that they are injuring the wrong animals and in some cases killing domestic pets.

This comes after the animal charity found that two cats had been trapped and injured in what they believe to have been snares.

One black and white cat called Brannigan came home with a snare cutting into his neck and then a week later had to have major surgery because it had been trapped a second time.

Brannigan’s owner, Alison Angior, 47, of Preston Road, Chorley, made the first of the shocking discoveries last month.

She said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, the poor thing came home with this metal thing round his neck very distressed and in a lot of pain.

“It happened again about a week later. He had been missing all night and was very wet and weak when he got home in the morning. He hadn’t even got the strength to shake the water off his back.”

Just last week a woman was in her garden on Springs Road, Chorley, feeding the birds when she smelt something foul.

North West RSPCA spokesman Kevin Hegarty explained: “The lady who does not want to be named, couldn’t understand where the smell was coming from.

“She found a very poorly cat huddled in a corner of her garden with its left front leg missing. It had been there so long that maggots found their way into its wounds.

“The cat was taken to a vets for surgery and now looks to be on the mend. We haven’t ruled out the possibility that the injuries could have been caused by a snare.”

Kevin said they are now looking for the owners of the short haired tabby cat which has been neutered and is around 18 months to two years old.

If anybody recognises the description of the injured cat then they should contact the RSPCA’s 24-hour cruelty hotline on 0870 55 55 999.