Cat dies after being tied up in a sheet and thrown like rubbish into churchyard

An injured cat has died after being tied up in a covered pet carrier and thrown into a locked churchyard.

A passerby went to intervene after the helpless animal was heard crying in Salford, Greater Manchester.

He had been put in a cat carrier which was then wrapped in a sheet and tied shut with a piece of white cable.

He was taken to the RSPCA but had to be put to sleep when his condition deteriorated.

Inspector Ryan King said: "This is a very sick and callous attack and it really upsets me to think of the suffering this cat endured and the fear it must have felt."

The concerned passerby had managed to climb over the locked gates at the Church of the Ascension, Lower Broughton, on 27 July to rescue the cat which was making desperate grunting noises.

The terrified feline, who was not microchipped, then hid under some rocks.

The RSPCA was able to take the cat to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where he was found to have a trauma to his stomach which had caused severe swelling.

It is suspected that he had been attacked - possibly kicked - before he was placed in the carrier and left to suffer.

Mr King said the cat "had no means to escape and would have been terrified and in pain."

“I am keen to find who did this and am appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time of the incident to get in touch,” he added.

The condition of the cat deteriorated while in the charity’s care and a vet decided to put the poor feline to sleep to end his suffering.

He was mainly black with some white patches - and it is not known if it was a pet or feral.

New figures released by the animal welfare charity reveal how five cats a day are suffering at the hands of humans- with reports of intentional cruelty to cats increasing by 25% last year.

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