Third cat is mutilated by snare

An 11 year old cat has had his back leg amputated after being trapped in a snare for almost a week. This is the third case of a cat being mutilated by a trap reported to the League Against Cruel Sports this year.

Tiggy, a ginger tom cat, was snared in Temple Newsam Woods just yards from his family home and was found cowering in a hedge after finally managing to free himself from the wire trap Unfortunately, his leg was so badly injured that vets had no choice but to remove it.

As reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post on the 9th February, owner Fiona Clark, 44, said “I feel absolutely sickened and disgusted. The people who lay traps are the lowest of the low. How could anyone hurt a defenceless animal?”.

Residents have voiced concerns that traps laid in Temple Newsam Woods to capture foxes and rabbits. Fiona, who has three children herself is adamant that people should be aware that this is happening, “Young children often play in the woods and any of them could be injured too.”

The incident has been reported by Leeds City Council’s parks and countryside staff and a search is being made to ensure no further snares have been set.

Snares are thin wire nooses which are used to catch foxes and rabbits, but are indiscriminate and can catch and injure – or even kill – other animals such as protected badgers and otters or even pets, like Tiggy.