Rescue cat dies after being strung up on washing line in Manchester

A cat has died after being hanged using a fence washing line in Manchester.

Ten-year-old Jack was recovered from the back garden of a property in Northcote Avenue, Wythenshawe on Tuesday 21 June around 8am.

In what the RSCPA said appeared to be a deliberate act, the line was tied from a fence to the lower branch of a tree and then wrapped round the cat's neck three times before he was strung up.

The animal charity has described Jack's killing as a 'sick act of cruelty.'

RSPCA Inspector Ryan King believes Jack was probably killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Distraught owner Tracy McCormick was called to her neighbours’ home, where the harrowing discovery was made in the garden.

She said: “It is just horrendous that someone would do this. Jack used to go out around 9pm and be back in for bed time.

"He’s not an un-neutered Tom cat who was spraying. He was timid and no-one had ever complained about him.

“He was a cat I had taken from a bad situation and he was loved."

Tracy said it took "all my strength to get it off him. But he would have fought, that’s for sure.”

She continued: “I’ve had to move Jack’s scratch mat and the house furniture as you feel it so hard that he’s not around any more.”

The inspector has viewed CCTV footage and is appealing for anyone who may have seen someone acting suspiciously in the area.

The RSPCA is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the rescue cat's killing.

Inspector King said: “This seems a deliberate act as the line had been moved from where it was being used for repair work on a tree.

"The owner was distraught and her neighbours were quite horrified."

“You have to wonder why someone would do this and it seems strange they would go into a back garden to do it."

A neighbour heard the side gate being rattled and found it was unlocked in the morning.

Tracy hopes someone may have seen something around the time of the incident or even heard of people gloating about committing the cruel act later.

If anyone has any information or CCTV footage that may be of assistance they are asked to call the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.

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