Cat found dangling by its skin on barbed wire in Telford

Every time the animal tried to free himself, his skin began to tear. To make matters worse there was a roll of barbed wire below his body, and his feet were getting caught on it.

A member of the public saw the distressed cat on Friday afternoon near Duke Street in St Georges and alerted the RSPCA.

Inspector Nayman Dunderdale was sent to the scene and could see the barbed wire had caught in the cat’s skin near his back leg and was causing it to rip.

He managed to cut the cat free and rushed him to a nearby veterinary surgery for treatment where he is said to be recovering well from his ordeal. The cat was given pain relief and the skin which had ripped has now been stapled together.

Nayman said: “It looks like he tried to jump the barbed wire fence but he got attached to it and obviously as he tried to free himself, the wire ripped his skin.

“The situation was made worse as there was a roll of discarded barbed wire underneath and this must have pricked his feet every time he moved.

“I have no idea how long he was in this predicament but it was lucky he was spotted when he was - he really was in a vulnerable position."

Nayman said people should be careful where they put barbed wire.

“This just shows how dangerous barbed wire can be and we would urge people to take extra care when installing fencing or security measures and to avoid using barbed wire where possible, particularly if its located somewhere where animals may become trapped easily," he said.

The RSPCA is now trying to trace the owner of the male cat, who is not microchipped but is neutered.

Nayman said: “This cat appears to be a well-cared for pet and I believe someone will be missing him and am sure he will want to be reunited with his owner while he recovers from his ordeal.”