Kats & Kits

I would like to tell our tale of the weekend which happily seems to have had a happy outcome.

Tilly is one of 4 kittens, hand reared since 2 weeks old, she and her brother and sisters have become part of our family along with her grandmother LouLou who arrived uninvited on our doorstep about two years ago and decided to stay.

Our four youngsters Thomas, Crackle, Gergie and the unfortunate Tilly have the run of our large garden and fields and live a happy and somewhat sheltered life. Free of worries about cars, tractors and most dogs, apart from their foster mother Holly a very large hairy GSD.

This Saturday gone, Tilly went missing!! Used only to being in the big outside for two or three hours at a time we knew something was wrong when she didn’t appear with her siblings in the early afternoon. Having searched and searched, called and called we decided she must have wandered off and would be back when she was really hungry.

Taking Holly for a walk before dark Tilly had still not appeared and as I approached home I decided to call her again. Imagine my relief when I heard her crying in response – and horror when I found her well and truly tangled in a rabbit snare!! With the help of neighbours with wire cutters it took over 15 minutes to extract her. I can only imagine she had been trapped for hours and we all know how cold it was at the weekend.

It was a miracle I found her, she would not have survived the night and a miracle I was walking where I was. Happily, there appear to be no lasting injuries, very very shocked, very very cold, and very very sore – the wire was wrapped tightly around her stomach and hips. She is now back in the bosom of her loving family, Holly is over the moon and won’t stop licking her given half a chance, and after two days of almost constant sleep and chicken morsels on tap is almost back to normal.

While I accept that rabbits are a nuisance, indeed we are overrun in the Kings Road area, I cannot imagine a more horrific, barbaric way of killing any animal. The thought of what could have happened and undoubtedly has happened to numerous wild animals and loved pets does not bear thinking about.

Does anyone know if this practise is in fact still legal?

Linda