Cat left petrified after cruel cable tie ordeal

A cat found with a cable tie cruelly and deliberately twisted around her body has been left petrified by her ordeal.

The terrified black and white moggy was discovered by workmen in a warehouse who, concerned for her welfare, called on Blue Cross for help.

The workers had been unable to catch the cat – who we’ve named Willow – because she was in such a distressed state, so two members of our Suffolk rehoming centre team made the journey to Felixstowe docks to help her.

Susie Winship, Blue Cross Animal Welfare Assistant, said: “Willow was extremely distressed when we arrived and it was horrible to see a cat in such a terrified state. We could clearly see that she had a black cable tie woven around her waist, which was obviously causing her a great deal of discomfort.”

Armed with cosy blankets to make the rescue attempt as stress-free as possible for Willow, two members of our team managed to catch the young cat when she wedged herself inside a gap in a desk.

The poor cat was so frightened by her situation that we brought her back to the centre to remove the cable tie, rather than risk the attempt to free her from the contraption inside the warehouse.

“The gentlemen at the warehouse were very concerned for her welfare and had been trying to coax her to them with food,” added Susie.

Once Willow was safely back at our rehoming centre, we kept her in a peaceful area until a vet arrived a short time later.

We sedated Willow so that we could remove the cable tie from her waist without causing her any additional distress or injury.

Susie said: “We can tell from the way the cable tie was tightened around her body that Willow didn’t get tangled in it by herself; unfortunately, someone must have deliberately done this to her.

“She has been left traumatised by her ordeal and will need time and space to recover. We will of course be keeping a very close eye on her and will only look to find her a new home when she is ready.”

Luckily, Willow suffered no injuries from the cable tie, but she was very lucky. It was wrapped around her waist and its position means it is likely that had it been left, Willow would have struggled to eat enough food to maintain a safe weight.

Willow is now recovering in the centre’s cattery where our team is spending time with her to build her confidence and trust in people until she is ready to find a loving new home.