Hunt for kitten Angel’s killers

Vet Joanna Bednarska who battled to save Angel’s life

THE RSPCA has vowed to hunt down the sick thugs who kicked and then lashed a kitten with a cycle chain.

The promise came after the news that the kitten, who vets named Angel, had died.

An RSPCA spokesman said: “This case is absolutely horrendous. We would urge anyone with any information to come forward and call our national cruelty advice line on 0300-1234 999.

“We need to track down those responsible for this awful incident and bring them to justice. We need to make sure that something like this does not happen again.”

Vet Joanna Bednarska, who battled to save Angel said: “Everybody is very sad about has happened. We did our best for her, but sadly she died.”

Ms Bednarska said that the veterinary practice where she worked — County End Veterinary Hospital, High Street, Lees — had asked the RSPCA to carry out a full investigation.

The kitten was attacked by two thugs in Coldhurst on Friday night and was left for dead in the street with her intestines hanging out.

The attack was witnessed by resident Jimmy Trelfa, of Anchor Street.

He looked out of the window and saw two lads flailing their arms about with a bike chain.

Then he spotted something small on the pavement which turned out to be kitten.

His dog started barking and the lads ran off. He said the boys involved were aged 13 to 15 and when he went outside to have a look, the cat was in a “right bloody mess”. Mr Trelfa and a neighbour, Natalie Stott, took the kitten to County End Vets where emergency operations were performed.

It has also emerged that the kitten was one of a pair left abandoned.

Chronicle reader Lilian Walsh says her daughter found two kittens trapped in a carrier bag and dumped in bushes in Rochdale Road last week, but one of them, believed to be Angel, ran off.

Mrs Walsh is now looking after the other kitten, which she has named Lucky, who is doing well after a check-up and clean-up at the vets.

She said: “It’s so cruel to dump them. Whoever did it meant to get rid of them.

“I think I would have ended up with both of them but the other kitten scampered off and could not be found.”