Scottish SPCA

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Cat left to die in bin

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a cat was cruelly put inside a plastic bag sealed shut with cable ties and dumped in a bin near Cowdenbeath, Fife.

We were called to rescue the adult male cat after workmen heard his cries while emptying a public bin at a lay-by on Perth Road just north of Cowdenbeath at around 10.30am on Wednesday (20 June).

The men found the terrified ginger and white cat inside a compost bag which had been cable tied shut. The cat was suffering from an eye injury, a high temperature and was soaking wet.

Now recovering at our Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre at Balerno, the cat has been named Pete.

Investigating the incident, Senior Inspector John Chisholm said, "This was a deliberate act of cruelty against a defenceless creature and I have no doubt in my mind that whoever did this meant for Pete to die.

"We don't know how long he had been trapped inside the bag for, but he had clearly been scratching to get out and it may be that he injured his eye in the process.

"He's very lucky to have been found otherwise he could very easily have suffocated to death.

"We don't know whether Pete has been abandoned by his owner or stolen and dumped so we're appealing to the public to help us with our enquiries into this horrific incident."

Causing unnecessary suffering and abandoning an animal are criminal offences and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.

Anyone with information relating to this abandonment is being urged to contact our Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.