Cat's skewer attack horror

BELOVED pet . . . owners are being warned after the barbaric attack on Troy

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A SICKENING attack which saw a three-legged cat killed with a kebab skewer has left its owners devastated.

The beloved pet, named Troy, was found dead near the home of his owners, Neil Corbett and Margaret O'Grady, on New Earth Street, Oldham, with a singular wound which appears to have been from a skewer.

Troy, who was distinctive for having three legs, chose them as his adopted family after he was left behind as a kitten when his original owners moved away from the area around seven years ago.

Alley

He started coming round to their home and settled with them.

He would usually stay in the house but would go out at around 10pm to check up on his old stomping ground nearby before returning at midnight.

However on April 26, Troy was unusually not around for breakfast and so Neil decided to look for him.

Neil's search led him to the alley at the back of his home where he found Troy dead, stretched out with blood protruding from his mouth as well as having a "single, symmetrical" wound on his body.

Believing a dog had attacked Troy he reported it to the RSPCA, but as he thought about the wound he believed it to be unusual for a dog attack.

So he returned to where he found Troy and found a kebab skewer covered in Troy's blood and cat hair.

Devastated by the realisation that someone had attacked Troy, Neil reported it to the police and is now warning other pet owners to be aware that the same person may strike again.

He said: "We had him for about seven years and he would hardly go out. He would only go out in the evenings, he must have been going to check on his old house.

"That morning he wasn't around for his breakfast so I went out looking for him. I went up round the back and he was there stretched out with blood coming out of his mouth with a single wound.

"I just thought it might be a dog or something so I just took him back and phoned the RSPCA saying I think there has been a dog attack.

"But then over the next couple of days I kept thinking it was a singular wound that was symmetrical on either side. So I went back to the place and there was this kebab skewer on the floor and it had cat hairs and blood all over it.

"Now I know somebody attacked Troy it is a different story and I just want to let people be aware.

"It is a vindictive thing that has been done. I just can't believe it because I thought why would anybody do that.

"It is like this three-legged cat is hobbling around and someone has thought I'll go and kill that."

Neil went on to describe Troy, who was around eight-years-old, as a character who was well-known by locals. Despite missing a leg he would run as quickly as any other cat and seemed very happy, something he said made the attack very much harder to take.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: "We were called at around 10.55am on May 1 to reports of a death of a cat that happened some time between 10pm on April 25 and 8am on Wednesday, April 26.

"Anyone with information should call us on 101."