Cat required surgery after receiving life-threatening injuries.

A cat owner has called for snares to be banned after her pet suffered severe injuries from becoming trapped in one.

Marion Brownlie, of Aberdeenshire, found her cat, Harry, collapsed in a field after he had been missing. He had been trapped in a snare for approximately five days before dragging himself to safety.

After confirming the injuries were caused by a snare, veterinary surgeons repaired a deep wound that ran from hip to hip across Harry’s abdomen.

He has now returned home, where he will rest for the remainder of his recovery.

Following the incident, Ms Brownlie has joined Cats Protection’s campaign for a ban to be introduced on the use of snares in Scotland.

Snares are soon to be banned in Wales under the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, but remain legal in the rest of the UK.

Ms Brownlie said: “I was absolutely staggered to find out that these snares are legal. Anyone who saw the state Harry was in would agree that snares are completely inhumane – no animal should be left to suffer such agony for so long. I can’t see how snares can be justified at all – it’s plain cruelty and must be banned.”

Cats Protection’s advocacy and government relations officer for Scotland Alice Palombo added: “Cats Protection is campaigning for an outright ban on snares like the one which Harry was caught in. As Harry’s story shows, snares are cruel, inhumane and cause considerable pain and suffering to any animal they capture.

“It’s hard to describe Harry as lucky, as he must have suffered unimaginable pain, but thankfully he did survive and get home. Many animals caught in snares – whether they’re wildlife or pet cats – will instead suffer a long, lonely and painful death.

“Snares and similar devices have no place in a modern society and we will continue to campaign for them to be banned.”

Image (C) Cats Protection