Cat in a trap

Dear friends

I know it has been a while since I've been in touch but rest assured that it has not been because we haven't been busy here at Animal Tracks. Countless animals are continuing to receive help and treatment and the number of dogs who walk the streets with a clip in their ear to identify that they have been sterilised and vaccinated is rising every day.

I am not going to write to you about dogs today however. I warn you now because this story is not for the faint-hearted. It does however tell you something about the nature of some people and how lucky it is for the animals that IAR is around to help.

This story is about a call which came in one morning from a local resident in the town of Mapusa. He told us that a cat had been caught in a leg trap and needed help. All drivers were out attending other calls but fortunately IAR Chairman John Hicks was in the office when the call came in and he immediately drove off to respond to the message. What he found on arrival is almost unbearable to describe. The poor cat in the trap turned out to be owned by the person who notified IAR! He himself had set the trap (for reasons unknown) and the cat had been caught in the trap the evening prior to him making the call! One can only try to guess what thoughts had gone through his mind when he failed to rescue the cat straight away. He even admitted that he only made the call to our centre when the cat's screams had begun to annoy him too much!

The trap was immediately removed by John Hicks and the cat was brought to the centre with severe injuries. It is still undergoing treatment and I shall do my best to update you of its progress. In the meantime the owner of this poor darling has called up the centre to ask to have the trap returned to him. I am not going to recite the reply of John Hicks but I can tell you that the leg trap is still here at the centre. It has been hung on display in our information centre along with photos of the cat and a message urging people to stop using these barbaric instruments.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that this little cat makes a full recovery so it can enjoy the rest of its life happy and free from danger and pain.

Love from me,

Olive x