A pet cat has been blinded in a brutal attack – because it looks like HITLER.
Baz, a seven year-old moggy, has a distinctive patch of black hair under his nose like the Nazi leader.
And owner Kirsty Sparrow fears the timid tomcat was targeted by cruel youths because of his unfortunate likeness.
Baz – who also has dark hair on the top of his head – failed to return home after a weekend on the prowl in Tredworth, Glos.
A neighbour found him days later, dumped in a bin and clinging to life with severe injuries.
Horrified Kirsty, 26, took him to a vet for emergency treatment and his left eye was removed because it was so badly damaged.
Kirsty – who has been left with a £600 care bill – said: “A lot of people say he looks like Hitler but he is so timid and gentle.
“I couldn’t believe the state of him. His eye was all swollen, it was like a marble.
“They said he was unlikely to have been hit by a car as there were no other injuries, and that he was probably kicked.
“I took a call at work from the vet to say he had been found in a bin, but was in a bad way. He’d been there for a while.
“It’s shocking someone would do something like that.”
[half]
[/half]
[half]
[/half]
Kirsty, who has just left her Tesco job to go on maternity leave, added: “I put a photo on Facebook of Baz as he has a distinctive black mark under his nose and asked if anyone saw him to contact me.”
Kirsty’s gran Cath said: “To think there is someone out there walking the streets who can do something like that to a defenceless animal is frightening. It is absolutely horrific.”
Gloucestershire police are investigating the incident and appealing for witnesses.
Kirsty has owned the ‘Hitler’ cat for seven years after she bought him when he was just a kitten.
She says the cat has looked like Hitler since birth but it has never drawn any negative attention before.
She said: “He’s always looked like this way. I don’t know why anyone would do that to any animal, no matter how they look.”
Lukily for the cat, Baz, he has no lasting damage and the cat’s face, apart from losing an eye, still looks the same.
She said: “His moustache is what makes him, him. It’s the first thing I asked about when I turned up at the vets, if his features were all still there. I was crying.”
Baz’s mustache gains a lot of attention from friends and people on the street.
“People say that he looks like Hitler. He is so cute and he does look like Hitler. People can’t believe it when I show them pictures. He’s also bigger than my nan’s dog,” said Kirsty.
Following the attack, Baz is set to make a full recovery but will be kept inside for quite some time.
He will be heading back to the vet on Sunday to has his stitches removed. The bruising below his ribs will heal over time.
“The vet said not to let him out yet. I don’t want to though. I’m scared it will happen again.”
The police are currently in contact with her nan, Cath, as Kirsty is too shook up to deal with the situation.
“I’m quite traumatised by it so she is dealing with it for me. I was crying my eyes out at the vets,” she added.
The vet’s bill has also set Kirsty back by a little over £600.
