Cat’s head and paws are cut off
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Exclusive by RICHARD BURDEN
A CALEDON pensioner wept yesterday as she told how a cat she had befriended had its head and paws cut off in a sickening act of slaughter.
The woman - who does not want to be named - spent 15 years working with the USPCA.
And, in all that time, she has never witnessed such an act of cruelty as that which was visited on her this week.
Speaking to the Gazette yesterday, (Tuesday), she branded the butchers "monsters" and said she was at a loss to understand their mentality.
The cat, which had a black body, with white paws and white around the head, first appeared outside her home over a year ago.
“It was a wee stray cat," she explained. "I don't know who, if anybody, owned it but it looked like it was starving and I fed it. It used to come to me for food. It never came into the house. It just came to the back door all the time and looked in through the glass to see if I was there.
“I looked forward to seeing it and always set food out. I just love animals. I have a cat and two dogs of my own and was more than happy to look after this one too.
“The last time I set food out it didn't appear and that just wasn't like it. I knew something must be wrong".
It was only when a friend called at the house that the full horror became clear.
The remains of the mutilated cat had been found lying on the back doorstep of her friend's home; it's not known if the culprits left it or if another cat had carried it there.
“My friend told me she had found the cat. There was no doubt who it was," she said.
“It's head had been cleanly cut off and its paws were cut off too. They wouldn't let me see it. They knew I would be far too upset".
The pensioner decided to contact the Gazette to make others aware of the terrible act, in the hope that something could be done to put a stop to such cruelty.
“People need to know that there are people like this out there," she said. "I have a cat myself that was thrown into a dustbin and she's now in her 21st year.
“How on earth can anyone do that? I can't stand this cruelty to animals. It's terrible, just terrible. I think the people who did this are monsters. I've never heard the like of it, they're sick in the head.
“This has really made me physically sick, to think that they would stoop so low as to kill a defenceless cat.
“Why can't people allow their four-legged friends to walk about? They're not doing anyone any harm. It's a horrible thing to do. Some people can just be so vicious".
The pensioner reported the incident to the Mid-Antrim Animal Sanctuary, which covers the whole of Northern Ireland.
The charity's chairperson, Grace Orbinson, told the Gazette: "It takes a special kind of sick person to do something like this. To me they are scum - animals wouldn't do that to each other. It's horrific.
“People just don't want to believe that this type of thing goes on, but it does. Unfortunately we hear these types of stories all too often. The ones that live, we end up picking up the pieces. Very often they are traumatised and we try to turn them into pets again.
“And it always breaks my heart to see that pet and how it still feels the need to trust humans again".
Ms Orbinson said her thoughts were with the Caledon pensioner and added: "I would urge anyone who knows anything about this to contact the local PSNI.
“These people need to be caught. It could be somebody else's pet next".
