Cat put down after suffering snare injuries

A PET cat from York had to be destroyed by vets after suffering horrific injuries in a snare, according to the animal’s owners.

Marmite, a one year-old tom cat, suffered deep cuts to one paw and two broken legs after becoming trapped in what is believed could have been a trap near his Chapelfields home.

Vincent Scaum, 52, whose 17-year-old stepdaughter owned Marmite, said the family became concerned after the pet returned home much later than normal.

Mr Scaum said: “Normally he would jump up on to the window, but he didn’t this time.

“My daughter went to see what was wrong with him and his paw was hanging off and both legs were badly broken.

“The vet said it was the worst injuries she had seen in a cat in long time.

“She said she had seen these type of injuries before and they were consistent with a snare.”

The incident happened earlier this month and the family said they were waiting for the RSPCA to inspect the body of the animal, which has been put into cold storage.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA confirmed it had been contacted by the family and said snare injuries were not uncommon in cats.

She said: “Unfortunately, there are far more incidents of animals getting caught in traps, like snares, than there should be and RSPCA inspectors often have to deal with incidents in which snares have inflicted injury and extreme suffering to animals.

“Snares are usually set to catch foxes or rabbits for the purpose of pest control but their victims can often be badgers, cats or dogs. Snares don’t discriminate between species and anything that moves through the snare’s noose is a potential victim.

“The snared animal is usually caught by the neck, but may also be trapped by a leg or around the body”. She said the more the animal struggled to free itself, the tighter the snare became, leading to death, or horrific injuries if the animal managed to eventually free itself.

“The RSPCA has said it would like to see snares banned, but it doesn’t look like this is going to happen in the near future,” she said.