Owner ‘sickened’ by savage killing of much-loved cat

Cath Sykes’ nine-year-old cat, called Dimples, was found in a neighbour’s garden last Wednesday and had died after being strangled by cable ties and left for dead.

Cath says Dimples was missing for two days before a close neighbour discovered the pet in their garden.

Cath said: “Dimples hadn’t been back since Monday morning which was strange in itself.

“Tuesday came and went and we began to get gradually more and more worried.

“I then got a phone call from a close friend from a few doors away, on Wednesday, and they said that they had found her in the garden.

“It sickens me that somebody so close to where I live could do this.

“It just came out of the blue.”

Cath, 52, had originally taken in Dimples from a cat rescue centre in Ashbourne when she was four months old.

She says that the manner in which her cat died is deeply distressing.

“Normally, when you say to people that your cat has died they think it has happened after being run over or by an accident,” she said.

“You don’t expect this sort of thing to happen. This was clearly a deliberate act and it is not right that people can do this.”

Cath has reported the incident to police.

She has another cat at home but admits that she is now reluctant to let it go out following the unsavoury episode involving Dimples.

She added: “The other cat is four years old and I know that I can’t keep him inside all day.

“Obviously, cats need to roam about and you can’t keep them cooped up all day.

“It just seems to sit at the door now as if it is waiting for Dimples to come back.

“I know they shouldn’t stay in the house and I can’t keep him from going out at all.

“But this has really upset me and affected how I look at things.”