Cat recovering well after leg amputation for 'snare' injury as charity calls for ban

A stray cat, who lost a leg after it's thought he was caught in a snare, is settling into his new home. 

Two-year-old Jacob was found in Bedworth in June with a severe injury to his back foot, meaning that the leg had to be amputated.

He was nursed back to health by charity Cats Protection, who are calling for an outright ban on snares saying they have no place in modern society. 

Since the end of June, Jacob has been living with his new owner James Taylor in Kenilworth. In that time James says the cat has gained confidence.

Despite having lost a leg - Jacob is adapting well to his new home.

"Jacob when he first came here he was very nervy, it took him a few days to adapt to the new environment," James says.

"He's very friendly, he's very curious, he's very affectionate, he likes to go on adventures - you can see if he's standing still or walking you can see him wobbling - but when he's running he just darts around like anything - he runs rings around me!"

Jacob was found with a severe injury, leading to his leg being amputated.

The vets who treated him think it was caused during a frantic struggle to free himself from a trap or snare.

In England, it's still legal to use certain types of snares, which are most commonly used in fox and rabbit control.

Cats Protection is calling for an outright ban on snares. The charity's Head of Advocacy, Madison Rogers, described snares as "cruel, indiscriminate and inhumane and we don't think there's any place for them in modern society."

She added; "The Welsh government over the summer did introduce legislation to ban snares and that comes into force on the 17th of October, and the Scottish Government is also consulting on banning snares - and we'd like the rest of the UK to follow suit."

James agrees with the calls for the ban, and says Jacob had a lucky escape.

"It's awful what happened to Jacob, but he was also lucky in the fact that he did actually manage to escape, a lot of cats wouldn't manage to escape and would end up dying if they got caught in a snare," he says.

"I think they're awful and completely support Cats Protection's campaign to ban them."

Whilst Jacob has recovered well, vets say he's likely to suffer ongoing arthritis in his remaining back leg because he's relying on it more.

Cats Protection say his suffering could have been avoided - if all snares are banned.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told ITV News Central it's looking at changes needed to reflect the concerns raised and to engage with key organisations on the use of snares.

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