RSPCA urges people to report '˜horrendous practice' after kitten rescued from being used as bait in Chesterfield

Derbyshire police said four or five men, located in woodland between Unstone Green, Chesterfield, and the A61 at Sheepbridge Industrial Estate, are believed to be responsible.

The kitten was rescued by a concerned passer-by and is now safe and well.

A post on the Derbyshire Constabulary Wildlife Officer Facebook page, shared more than 9,000 times, said: “We are appealing for help to identify four or five males who had a small kitten which had its feet bound with cable ties and its body bound with masking-type tape.

“These males also had with them a number of ferrets and dogs.

“The kitten was saved by a concerned passing member of the public.

“This small kitten was clearly destined to be used as some kind of bait for the ferrets and dogs.”

The post added that one of the offenders had a tattoo of a swallow on his neck and the other men had tattoos on their hands. They were all wearing tracksuits and aged in their early 20s and 30s.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This sounds like an incredibly upsetting incident and we’re pleased that the kitten is now safe and well, and that police are investigating.

“The RSPCA has a lot of experience and knowledge of the dog fighting world and we’ve never come across any evidence before of cats or kittens being used as bait in fighting. However, we cannot say that this never happens and we would urge anyone who suspects this sort of horrendous practice is taking place near them to contact police or us as soon as possible.”

Call police on 101 with any information.