The RSPCA has warned about the dangers of illegal, steel-jawed gin traps after a pet kitten was snared.
Timmy, a seven-month-old, had a leg broken in two places while roaming a field near home in Newbridge-on-Wye, near Llandrindod Wells, Powys.
Animals are still being caught in traps in the UK even though they were outlawed in the 1950s, says the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Phil Lewis said gin traps were “instruments of torture” and appealed for information.
A vet told the kitten’s owner Lesley Fisher that despite his injury Timmy would recover.
Mrs Fisher said she knew her pet was in trouble two weeks ago when she heard him meowing in a nearby field. She rushed to the scene to see that his leg was clamped.
‘Wounded children’
Mrs Fisher added: “My daughter, Joanne, was with me when we found Timmy and we got a bit hysterical.
“This was a very cruel thing to do to a kitten and I’m completely amazed that people still use these awful things. I was appalled, especially as the gin trap could have badly wounded children as well as animals.”
The pair took the kitten back to the house and released him from the gin trap.
RSPCA inspector Phil Lewis said: “Gin traps are instruments of torture and are illegal in the UK.
“We urgently need to find out who laid this trap and I urge the public to contact the RSPCA if they have any information regarding this incident.”
Last week, the RSPCA said a lurcher dog had died after a rope used to tether it to a gate had become twisted around its neck near Welshpool.
Source: BBC News
