AN ANIMAL charity has released new figures which reveal seven cats a day suffer at the hands of humans and this is expected to increase during the summer months.
The RSPCA received 568 reports of cat cruelty in Hampshire in 2021 and an appeal for information was launched earlier this year after a cat in Basingstoke was discovered, whose body had been intentionally set on fire.
Chris, who was last seen by his owner near his home down Keats Close, was found by a motorist driving along Kiln Road in Sherborne St John on Sunday, March 27.
Deputy chief inspector Hannah Nixon, who is investigating for the charity, said: “Our thoughts are with Chris’ owner. We’re sorry they’ve lost him, and sorry it’s in such upsetting circumstances.
“It’s not known whether Chris was already dead before his body was set alight.”
The RSPCA receives around 90,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates 6,000 reports of deliberate animal cruelty, including animal fighting and hunting. But in the summer calls rise to 134,000 a month.
Sam Watson, cat welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: "Tragically, we see hundreds of animals that come through our doors every year who have been subjected to unimaginable cruelty - being beaten, thrown across the room, had bones broken, been shot at, poisoned and drowned.
“As well as being hurt by their owners, cats are also more vulnerable as they tend to be out and about on their own which can leave them vulnerable to airgun attacks and other forms of cruelty by complete strangers.”
To help support the RSPCA, rspca.org.uk/stopcruelty
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