A posh suburb is in shock after an “aggressive” cat was apparently kidnapped by a vigilante – who then released pictures of it trapped in a CAGE.
The pet, called Murray, has been accused of attacking other cats and invading gardens in the leafy Georgian streets.
But after the moggie went missing his owner was horrified to find posters erected on lampposts with a picture of Murray behind bars.
The poster reads: “If this is your cat please do the right thing and have him neutered.
“No harm has come to this cat however the cat trap will continue to be set to try and deter him.”
Murray returned home traumatised by his experience and afraid of humans, according to his owner who is known only as ‘Antonio’.
He said: “There are images of Murray in a cage and he looks very distressed. I cant believe they really trapped him in the cage.
“The worrying thing is that I have no idea how long he was in the cage or what happened to him when he was in there.
“Whoever it is says they are going to continue to trap him in there. What if he ends up stuck in there all day in the sun with no food or water?
“Murray has been neutered. He’s not aggressive. We’ve never had a problem with his before – neither has anyone else.
“We’ve got a nine year old cat too and they get on well together.
“We can’t keep Murray inside as that would be cruel but we are now worried if he stays out for more than a day he could be trapped in the cage.
“My fiancee and I are very upset.”
Murray briefly went missing last week before returning to his owners in Clifton, Bristol, scared of people – which Antonio claims is unusual.
The feline then stopped eating food, leading the couple to believe he was unwell and needed attention from a vet.
But as they left the house to have him checked over they were greeted by the “distressing” posters showing Murray trapped.
The poster read: “If this is your cat please do the right thing and have him neutered. If anyone has a cat that has been injured by this very aggressive cat please keep your vet bills.
“No harm has come to this cat however the cat trap will continue to be set to try and deter him.
“My cat is now very old and sadly is unable to rest because he is on constant alert from this very aggressive cat.”
Antonio said he was unsure what the vigilante hoped to achieve by putting up the posters – as they made no effort to contact him to sort the issue out.
He has responded by replacing the posters with one of his own, urging the mystery cat hater to come forward.
Antonio’s poster reads: “Following your concerns, Murray was adopted from the RSPCA.
“He has been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and has been tested with other animals for signs of aggression.
“The RSPCA do not allow cats to be adopted unless considered fit for pets.
“In response to you setting up cat traps, I believe that there may be a more conducive method than capturing Murray to stop him entering your home and distressing your cat.
“Especially since you may be attracting him into your venue by leaving food in the trap.
“Therefore, could you please contact me on XXXX so we can come to a civil solution to the problem of Murray entering your house / garden.
“Please note, that I have also come home and found cats in my home which aren’t mine, but I do not believe that caging them is an effective deterrent.”
The police and the RSPCA have been alerted to the posters and the RSPCA says it takes any matters involving animal welfare extremely seriously.
