AN IPSWICH cat charity has today pledged £100 to help find the person responsible for cruelly injuring a cat in an illegal trap.The Ipswich branch of Cats Protection has put forward the reward in the hope people will be willing to report the person responsible.

AN IPSWICH cat charity has today pledged £100 to help find the person responsible for cruelly injuring a cat in an illegal trap.

The Ipswich branch of Cats Protection has put forward the reward in the hope people will be willing to report the person responsible.

The Evening Star reported on Tuesday how the cat was caught and injured in a gin trap - a trap outlawed in the UK in 1954.

The animal, a female less than a year old, was heard crying out in pain from a garden in Ayr Road and taken to vets for treatment. Examinations showed it had a broken bone in its foot and skin wounds.

It is believed the cat dragged itself into the garden after getting caught in the trap

Judy Mills is the Ipswich branch co-ordinator for the charity and runs a cat foster centre at her home at Maple Close.

Mrs Mills said: “Whoever set this trap obviously intended to hurt something or someone and I think it's horrible.

“I wonder what goes through these people's heads.

“It's so unnecessary and I'm appalled that someone could set out to hurt a little animal like this.

“The reward is for anyone who gives information which leads to a prosecution and in the meantime we are going through our list of lost cats to try and trace the owners.”

The cat, who has short black hair and was wearing a blue flee collar, is being cared for at an RSPCA animal home until its owner can be traced.

Anyone who has information they would like to report is asked to call the RSPCA on 0870 55 55 999.

WEBLINK:

www.rspca.org.uk

Have you witnessed an act of animal cruelty? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

N Gin traps have spring-operated jaws with teeth or a serrated edge which are designed to catch animals by their legs.

N The design traps and holds the animal without killing it which means that the animal can be caught and suffering for several days.

N The use of gin traps has been illegal in the UK since 1958. They are generally used to catch rabbits and foxes.

N The use of gin traps to kill animals falls under two pieces of legislation: the Pests Act 1954 (and its Spring Trap Approval Orders) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA).

N Anyone found guilty of setting a gin trap causing unnecessary suffering to an animal faces a maximum £5,000 fine and/or six months in prison.