An appeal for witnesses is being made after a three-year-old cat died from injuries that it is believed were inflicted deliberately.
Broadstairs mum Justine Abernethy says her family are devastated by the death of cat Brody and horrified to learn that someone appears to have attacked him.
Justine says Brody had been out last Saturday (September 3) and she believes he came back into the house in the early hours,
The 51-year-old said: “We found him on a chair looking like he’d been in a fight so we left him to rest. By the afternoon he was still there and not eating. When we tried to get him up he screamed in pain and looked dreadful.
“We took him to the emergency vet in Herne Bay thinking he must have been hit by a car but the vet said definitely not and that someone had hurt him by pulling or lifting him up by his tail and swinging him around and possibly dragging him too as all the skin had come off his chin.
“He may also have been thrown. There was a chance he’d lose his tail and also his skin might start to die as there was a massive amount of air under it. He had painkillers and anti-inflammatory injections and we were able to take him home.
“Unfortunately, the next morning our son went downstairs to find he’d died. The night he was out my husband was awoken about 3am by the screeching and screaming of someone driving up and down our road at speed and we now wonder if they got hold of Brody.”
Justine, who had to pay out £400 in vet bills, says her children aged 13 and 10 are heartbroken. She added: “He was such a loving cat, it’s just horrible.
“We had had him and our other cat Bow since they were one, they are both rescues.
“I don’t expect to catch whoever did this to Brody but I want to make people aware this happened.
“If anyone saw or knows anything please come forward. Nothing can bring Brody back but I want people to know to be careful in the area.”
Kent Police and the RSPCA have been contacted.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police was contacted on Sunday 4 September and it was reported that a cat had sustained injuries in Ethel Road, Broadstairs, from which he later died.
“It is reported that a person may have inflicted the injuries on the cat at around 3am on Saturday 3 September.”
Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area around that time, or who has CCTV, dashcam or other information which may assist, should call Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/173432/22.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA added: “We are sorry to hear what has happened to poor Brody and our thoughts are with his owners.
“We would ask that if anyone has any first hand information regarding this incident or may have seen anything suspicious in the area to report to the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 or Kent Police.”
