Ipswich: Cat beaten, kicked and punched by thugs

A PET lover has called for vigilance after his cat was savagely attacked by thugs who left her for dead.

Police are looking to speak to a 12-year-old boy and 13-year-old boy who were in the area at the time of the attack.

Two-year-old Sphynx was just yards from her owner’s home in Bruff Road, near the Maidenhall estate, when she was apparently set upon by youths who inflicted terrible injuries which left her needing two operations.

Sphynx suffered a broken jaw and serious internal injuries which tore a hole in her stomach and left her fighting for her life.

Owner Mark Eley, a firefighter with the London Fire Service, was shocked to hear of the attack when his neighbours called on Tuesday afternoon to say they had found Sphynx covered in blood.

Although vets have managed to repair most of the damage, she may have internal injuries and faces a painful recovery period in which she will have to stay in a small cage and wear a cone around her head for at least a month to prevent her stitches from coming out.

Mr Eley, 30, said: “It became apparent my cat had been seriously injured. She had been kicked brutally in the face and in the abdomen, had her fur pulled off and been left for dead.

“She looked terrible. She was so brutally injured, and the vets said she had been repeatedly kicked.

“I’m so angry this could happen. She’s the most affectionate cat in the world – she just loves to curl up in your lap.

“I’m just appalled that someone could actually do such a horrible thing to a defenceless animal.”

Mr Eley’s neighbours took Sphynx to a nearby vets’ surgery as he rushed home from London, but her injuries were so serious she had to be transferred to Barn Veterinary Practice in Copdock, where she stayed for three days.

Police are looking for two boys in who were in the area at the time of the attack, which was around 3pm on Tuesday. They are aged 12 to 13. One has short dark brown hair and was wearing a black coat, and the other has light brown hair.

Anyone with information can call police on 101.

Mr Eley, who has racked up a �1,000 vets bill as a result of the attack, added: “It’s quite a good community here but we are so appalled by this. I just want to make people more vigilant so we can stop this from ever happening again.”

n What do you think of this attack? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.