A WIGAN family were left devastated after their pet cat returned home with both hind feet amputated.
It is believed Maisy the cat had got caught in a trap which gave her such severe injuries, she had to be put down. The Thomas family from Pemberton are now urging anybody who sets traps to think twice about the injuries they can cause to domestic pets and the distress on their owners.
Stephen Thomas said: “On Tuesday evening, Maisy came home in a horrible state.
“Her feet were missing and there was blood everywhere, it was just appalling to see.
“She had managed to drag herself home from wherever she was but she must have been in so much pain.
“The vet could’ve operated but she would’ve had to live with no back legs so we thought the best thing was to put her to sleep.
“We’ll never know what happened, she may have injured herself on a trap set on a farmer’s field but we don’t live that close to any fields.
“The only other thing we can think of is that somebody in the area had a trap set in their garden for other animals or even Maisy.
“If she was bothering somebody, I would’ve hoped they could tell me rather than do this to her – people shouldn’t be allowed to have traps that can cause so much damage to innocent pets.”
Mahala Welbourne veterinary surgeon at Vets 4 Pets treated three-year-old Maisy.
She said: “Maisy’s injuries were probably the most severe I have ever seen, they were very gruesome.
“Both her hind feet had been amputated and those injuries were consistent of an animal getting caught in a trap.
“It is amazing that she made it all the way home in the state that she was, she was very brave but when she got to us she was in shock.
“Maisy could have wandered to a farmer’s field or got injured in a residential area.
“It is commonly known that farmers set traps for nuisance animals.
“Although we can only surmise that this is what happened, people need to be aware of these sorts of legal and illegal traps and that there is a chance that pets can get caught in them.”
Source: Wigan Leader