A HORRIFIED man found his pet cat hanged by cruel thieves after a break-in at his home.
David Christie, from Loanhead, Midlothian, walked into his flat on Tuesday evening to discover his beloved moggy had been killed and strung up by its tail.
The heartless thieves had also stolen hundreds of pounds worth of belongings, including mobile phones and video games, from the distressed pet owner’s home.
The burglars left the cat to be found by its traumatised owner, who is in his 20s.
It is unclear whether the cat was killed and then hanged, or if it was alive when it was suspended by its tail.
The shocking incident happened at some point between Monday night at 9.50pm and Tuesday at 5.15pm.
The cat could have been left hanging for up to 17 hours.
The Scottish SPCA said the attack was “sickeningly cruel.”
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn, said: “Hanging an animal is a sickening cruel thing and this cat would have been caused a great deal of terror, pain and suffering. We would urge anyone with information to contact Lothian and Borders Police as soon as possible.”
A Lothian and Borders police spokesman said: “Lothian and Borders Police are investigation following a housebreaking and theft from a property in Dalum Court, Loanhead. A number of items including a games console, computer games and mobile phones were stolen.
“Alongside the housebreaking, officers are also looking at the death of a cat that was found dead within the address during the break-in.”
This week a disabled pet owner from East Lothian spoke of her heartbreak after losing three of her beloved cats to suspected anti-freeze poisoning in just six weeks
Catherine Kenny, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and lives alone on Durie’s Park in Elphinstone had to bury five of her pet cats – while two remain missing – between April and September last year.
Last year an autopsy by the Scottish SPCA on one of Ms Kenny’s cats, Edward, who had to be put down after suspected poisoning, confirmed anti freeze as the cause of his death.
