Craven Arms cat sprayed green
Tuesday 26th October 2010, 3:00PM BST.
A cat limped home to its Shropshire owner after yobs spray painted its face green and wrapped wire around its neck and legs.
The two-year-old black and white tabby named Merlin returned to his home in Newington Way, Craven Arms, yesterday morning limping badly and in distress following the overnight attack.
The cat received treatment for the injured leg and has since returned home, but his owner Kirsty Ruff, 23, has said she will not let him go outside again for fear of him being attacks, and has branded those responsible as “disgusting”.
Merlin does not usually stray far from home and police believe the attack was carried out in the local area.
Members of the Craven Arms local policing team have been made aware of the attack and will carry out enquiries in the vicinity.
The RSPCA has also been made aware of the incident and is working with Miss Ruff.
Miss Ruff, who lives with her partner Martin and seven-year-old son Jack, said: “He is a very loving cat who likes to play with everyone and that’s made it worse.
“He knows he is home now and safe but I won’t be letting him outside again until after Halloween and bonfire night and he certainly won’t be going out at night again.
“A cat cannot defend itself and I just hope whoever is responsible is found and punished. I think it’s disgusting.
“I’ve spent a lot of the morning checking with my neighbours that their cats are OK. If this can happen to my cat then their cats may be at risk, too.”
A police spokeswoman said: “The cat appears to have been tormented for some time, with wire wrapped around its neck and green paint sprayed in its face.
“Fortunately, the injuries do not appear to have been serious and the animal is expected to make a full recovery but police are keen to identify who was responsible.
“If anyone has any information as to who carried out this attack, please would they contact police on 0300 333 3000.
“If you know who was responsible but do not want to be identified, please pass the information on via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
By Peter Kitchen
UK News
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How do we know the cat didn’t get itself caught up in wire, rubbed its face against wet paint?
I find it disgusting that people would do this to a defenseless animal, but why are we automatically assuming someone did?
My cats have come back home after all sorts of scrapes, never did I assume ‘yobs’ were to blame. Curiosity Killed the Cat after all.
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Are you totally stupid, since when is a cat going to rub it’s face in wet piant, then wrap itself up in wire. Obviously you have never owned a cat
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bob dobbs, you talk a load of rubbish?. did the cat think oh to night i will paint my face and wrap my self in wire?. cats are not that stupid even if you are.
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Words can not describe how stupid you are.
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“ROB” well said….. “Jane” you too.
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Find who did this and carefully wrap barbed wire around their arms and legs and spray paint them green.Leave in public somewhere secure and let their community judge them for what they are,dispicable cowards.Utterly sick.When the public disgrace has been deemed to have lasted long enough can a particularly infamous woman from Coventry use her community service to place these people into large wheelie bins?
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Why don,t we find the Baxxxxds that did it and do exactly the same to them and see if they limp home,Txxxs
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Once again the Star rushes to condemn without knowing all the facts. Perhaps these “yobs” are disadvantaged and don’t have access to adequate youth services – how do you know that Merlin didn’t provoke the attack by not showing them enough “respect”?
…..on the other hand perhaps they’re just vicious little scum who would benefit from a thorough taste of their own medicine….
Either way I hope he makes a full recovery.
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i suppose your right, jumping to conclusions before the cat can tell us his own story !
i am afraid its becoming quite the norm in the UK for the people to abuse animals, but please lets not hear about how poor their lives have been and how bored they are, no reasonable person could ever hurt an animal, whoever did this is just scum, lets not hear ahhh they had a poor upbringing and life hasnt treated them well!, there is enough people who live in the UK who have not had a great start in life but they do not set out to hurt and maim someones pet, and use this as an excuse !
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Lets hope it was a bizarre accident although it seems inlikely.
Poor Merlin, I hope he has fully reovered, physically and mentally.
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What Bob.
There just happened to be a pot of green paint. You will be saying he walked through a pain of glass being carried by 2 workmen next
and then fell off a ladder before stepping in some wallpaper paste,
I hope they get the morons who did this, I hate cruelty.
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He was channelling the spirit of Buster Keaton. Happens all the time. My neighbours cat is constantly being possessed by Fatty Arbuckle.
The result is as unpleasant as it sounds.
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But how would it wrap itself in wire? I know cats can get themselves into trouble easily enough on their own, but wrapping themselves up in wire would be pretty unusual for even the most accident prone cat.
I hope Merlin is OK and has recovered from this, whether it was caused by humans or his own curiosity.
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I think it’s pretty unlikely that the cat sprayed itself as bob dobbs suggests…
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Ive been living in craven arms for a couple of years now and to be honest this dose not surprise me one bit . The younger people in the “arms” seem to be getting away with more and more . The local police know who the many people are but cannot do anything due to there hands being tied . The people round the “arms”are just fed up with it ……hey that’s the way life is now’a'days due to the lack of discipline coming from the parents ,who in some cases are just as bad . I do hope they catch the people how have does this and for once give them the maximum punishment. (maximum penalties from a six-month jail term and a £5,000 fine to a 51-week prison sentence and a £20,000 fine).
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Why assume more than one person is responsible? Yobs suggests a group, and regrettably also suggests youngsters are responsible. We know form national media coverage that a middle age respectable woman is also likly to do things to a cat.
and as bob dobbs suggests, the cat could well have got itself trapped.
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Yes. Or been attacked by a flying pig.
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Must admit having seen the wire today that maybe someone had made a snare(for rat catching purposes) as it was guitar wire. And maybe that snare was near paint, but can’t rule out fowl play totally. On another note Merlin was fine today and very affectionate, but was sore and leg a bit swollen.
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“but can’t rule out fowl play totally”
What , you reckon it was a revenge attack by chickens ??
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I hope they find who did this to Merlin. How can anyone be so cruel? So who in Craven Arms was playing about with green paint? Has anyone noticed green paint on clothes or on hands? Do the right thing report them and let them get the punishment they deserve or let them explain why and how they could do it.
Best wishes to Merlin and his family x
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i found it horrible that anyone can do this to any animal, they are our family and they would not like it if we hurt someone close to them.
i have a dog and would kill anyone who hurt him, get them and make sure they pay.
why should that cat stay in it has not done anything wrong but best to best safe
glad it is home safe and sound now
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I hope they find the b*****ds who did this and tie their legs up and spray their face with paint!!!! Its about time something was done about the untouched youth of South Shropshire, the police dont bother and having had family members being assaulted by a group who were caught on camera and still nothing was done I am very angry!! Why do we pay council tax to have the police do naff all when needed?
I also have cats and was looking after a stray that was abused by a group of young children. If anyone was to hurt mine they would have to suffer in return!! For someone to actually write on here that its because there isnt enough for the kids to do is a disgrace. Cant kids make there own entertainment without causing injury or hurt to others these days.
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“For someone to actually write on here that its because there isnt enough for the kids to do is a disgrace.”
I think you’re referring to my comment Charlotte – in which case can I suggest that you read it again and appreciate that I was being sarcastic in the first paragraph.
Trust me, I’m just as sick at the antics of these vicious little scum and the new excuses that are dreamed up on an almost daily basis for their sub-human behaviour (and am also the fond owner of 2 cats and 2 dogs!!!!).
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