Witnesses watched on in horror as two cats - including a three-month-old kitten - were 'launched high into the air' while trapped inside a bin bag and gift box.
A man was seen walking onto a park in east Manchester before 'launching' a bin bag and lidded gift box 'high into the air', according to the RSPCA. The incident on Hewlett Johnson Playing Fields left one of the cats with a fractured leg - which could need to be amputated.
A 12-week-old black female kitten with a black collar was seen falling to the ground after tumbling out of the gift box, which was dark red with a gold Christmas tree pattern. The bin bag contained a young black and white male cat wearing a silver glitter collar with a bell.
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The man entered the park on the Clayton side. The man was then seen walking back across the playing fields, leaving the park at the Seymour Road South side.
Petrified, both cats ran off into nearby undergrowth before witnesses were thankfully able to catch them and alert the RSPCA, says the animal welfare group. The two cats are now safe in the care of the RSPCA - but the incident left one of the animals with a fractured leg.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Helen Chapman collected the animals and took them to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. The kitten was found to have a recently fractured left front leg, which vets think could have been caused from the height at which she was thrown from the gift box.
She is still under assessment and it’s not known at this stage if her leg will need to be amputated. Enquiries have been made locally by the RSPCA and posters appealing for information have been put up.
CCTV has also been checked, although it unfortunately does not cover the area of the park in which the cats were abandoned. The charity has appealed to anyone who recognises the cats, or has information about the incident, which happened at about 11am on Wednesday 12 April, to get in touch.
Helen said: “Our sincere thanks go to the caring people who helped these cats and got in touch with us. Both of them have lovely, friendly temperaments and the circumstances surrounding this incident are just so very upsetting.
“They’re being well looked after and will remain in our care while enquiries continue. At this stage we don’t know if they belonged to the man who was seen abandoning them, or even if they are someone else’s missing cats.
"What we do know is that they were seen being launched high into the air and falling to the ground, which will have been a very distressing and frightening experience for them.
“We’d appeal to anyone who knows about these cats, or can provide first-hand information about this case, to contact us. Perhaps you were in the vicinity of the park at the time or recognise the distinctive gift box that the kitten was thrown from or the unusual markings on the older cat?
“We’re responding to an increasing number of abandoned pets as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, but dumping animals - especially in a cruel manner like this - is never acceptable. There is help and support available and we would urge people to contact their vets, local rescues and animal welfare charities.”
The man who was seen with the cats is described as being in his 20s and wearing tracksuit bottoms and a black hooded, possibly puffer style, jacket. Information can be passed to the RSPCA, in confidence, on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 01054491.
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