A FAMILY’S afternoon canoe trip along the River Stour was ruined at the weekend when they made a grim discovery on the banks of the river.

Robert Simpson, from Long Melford, was approaching Cornard Lock with his wife, Helen, and their children when he spotted a knotted pillow case by the side of the river at about 4pm on Saturday.

Curious to see what was inside he opened the pillow case to reveal an horrific sight.

“To our horror we discovered a light coloured, ginger haired cat wedged inside with a house brick between its legs,” he said. “It is an utterly shameful thing to do and must have been a really terrible way for the cat to die.”

Mrs Simpson added: “It just breaks your heart to think that someone has treated this animal in such a cruel way, and we hope that by speaking out it may encourage any witnesses to come forward.”

The family took the cat to Cornard Lock where they met Richard Davy, a vet from Sudbury, who was canoeing with his family.

Mr Davy contacted staff at the Ardmore Veterinary practice where he works who came to pick up the cat.

He said there was always the possibility the cat was dead before it was submerged in the river.

“There’s no excuse of course,” he said. “It is an unacceptable way for a cat to be disposed of and causes great distress to people when they come across something like this.

“If anyone is in any doubt about what to do with a pet cat that has died, or is ill and needs treatment, they should contact a vet for advice.”

RSPCA inspector Jason Finch said they had launched an investigation and were appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

He said it was not known at this stage what caused the death of the cat, which did not have a microchip, and is believed to be about eight years old.

He said: “This is clearly a very suspicious incident and we would appeal to anyone who may have been in the area and seen the cat or pillowcase being dumped.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who maybe missing a cat fitting this description from the Sudbury area. Any information no matter how small could provide us with a vital lead in our investigation and we would urge people to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.