‘Sadly, by setting this barbaric and illegal gin trap, someone's actions have caused this poor cat to lose her front leg.'
A cat had to have one of her front legs amputated after suffering horrific injuries caused by an illegal gin trap.
The white tabby cat was spotted bleeding heavily with the device still hanging off the limb near a barn in Land Gate, Rochdale, on Sunday evening. She is believed to have spent at least a day caught in the trap, having first been seen on Saturday before limping away.
RSPCA animal rescuer Steve Wickham attended the scene and managed to comfort the cat, now named Xena after the warrior princess, until he could get her safely to the Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for emergency treatment.
He said the intervention prevented Xena suffering a ‘terrible lingering death’, but added that ‘she was in such a bad way’ due to the wounds caused by the device’s serrated jaws that a vet decided her leg had to be removed.
The charity said she is doing well in their care and will be found a new home once she is fully healed.
Gin traps are mechanical devices designed to catch an animal by its leg, using spring-operated jaws with teeth or jagged edges.
The device which trapped Xena is legal to own or sale, but not to set and use.
The RSPCA urged anyone who knows who set the gin trap to contact their appeals line.
They also stressed that the devices can cause ‘immense suffering’ to wildlife and pets.
Steve said: ‘Sadly, by setting this barbaric and illegal gin trap, someone’s actions have caused this poor cat to lose her front leg.
‘But had Xena not been spotted she could have suffered a terrible lingering death, which is just awful.
‘She was in such a bad way with her leg hanging on by the skin so the vets were left with no choice but to amputate.
‘However, she is doing well and will be rehabilitated at one of our branches and will then be found a new home.
‘We still regularly deal with incidents involving gin traps and they’re completely indiscriminate in what they catch with victims including wildlife and pets.
‘They are horrific and simply should not be used.’
Xena’s plight was also helped by the RAC after Steve’s van broke down on the way to the animal hospital.
Steve added: ‘I would also like to thank the RAC for their help because while I was transporting Xena to hospital my van broke down but they assisted me within half an hour.
‘The RAC worker, James Patterson, took me and the cat to the hospital as an emergency then we went back to get my van back up and running.
‘They really did go above and beyond and I was grateful for their help as all my other colleagues were tied up on other urgent jobs and were further away.’
The use of gin traps has been outlawed in the UK since 1958, but some are still being illegally used to catch animals such as rabbits and foxes. The sale or possession of such traps is not illegal, but the RSPCA wants to make people aware that they can face prosecution by setting them.
Anyone found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal faces a maximum £20,000 fine and/or six months in prison.
The RSPCA is opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all snares and any traps which cause suffering.
They said trapped animals will struggle when caught and may succeed in pulling the trap from its anchor only to die later from their injuries.
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