MADAM, ON Saturday, February 28th' the cat who visited us arrived at our

door after about a week of unusual absence. He had horrific injuries to his

feet and all involved agreed that the shocking damage had been caused by

an illegal animal trap. The cat must have been held for a number of days and nights in what was probably either a steel jaw or a metal leg-hold contraption. Due to the severity of his injuries and the level of infection, the poor animal had to be put to sleep. He was only a young cat and was exceptionally friendly but we have since discovered that he was almost certainly a stray. We cannot work out why anybody would set such a trap especially when there are humane, legal ones available if there is a real need...unless the culprit actually intended to catch a cat and

cause a huge amount of suffering. This letter is not intended to cause

any unnecessary alarm - perhaps this particular cat ventured further afield

and was hungrier than most, therefore was more vulnerable. On the other hand, we do live in the centre of Ross and it is concerning that the device may well be closer to many homes than we might wish to imagine. We are devastated by the loss of our little visitor and so it is unthinkable that

anybody's much loved pet could be exposed to a similar fate. Local cat owners may benefit by being aware of this information and by keeping their eyes and ears open. Anyone with any relevant information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on: 0800555111 quoting incident

no: 2205030309.