“What goes through people’s minds?” This is the question volunteers at an Essex animal rescue shelter have been left asking after a cat was found abandoned with his paws tightly wrapped with thick electrical tape.
The cat, who has temporarily been named Kelvin, had been left in an alley off Ongar Road, Kelvedon Hatch.
The poor animal was found and rescued by a volunteer from the Wanderers Haven Animal Sanctuary.
David Commons, manager of the charity, said: “We are used to receiving phone calls about abandoned cats and dogs but we weren’t expecting that.
“Where he was found was derelict, so he was put out of the way. Anything could have happened to him, what if a dog had found him?”
He said the heavy duty tape was stuck fast.
“There was enough tape on his feet that he wasn’t going to get out of it alone.”
David continued: “When we found him he was just flat out but as we approached he was like a fish out of water trying to get away from us.”
The act has shocked the team of volunteers more than most cases.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds. There is no excuse or need to do that,” said David.
Kelvin had tried to bite the tape off himself but failed to get through the thick layers.
Once the team had freed his paws he began hissing and tried to flee the scene but they were able to capture him and take him to safety.
The terrified kitty has been unable to be scanned or sexed by the charity workers as they cannot, at this stage, get close enough to him without causing further upset.
David added: “Kelvin is a lot more comfortable than he was when we first brought him in on Tuesday but he is still not wanting to be handled or touched.
“He is eating and using his litter box and coming in and out of his bed but he is doing this mainly when we aren’t in the room. It is going to take a while for him to start trusting people again.”
Kelvin will remain at the sanctuary in the short term where he will receive everything he needs and have time to relax but the centre are hoping to track down an owner.
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