Scraptoft: Cat dies after getting caught in snare trap

The RSPCA believes Tigger did not encounter the snare in the same garden where he was found

A family cat was killed after getting caught in a snare trap, the RSPCA has said.

Tigger, a seven-year-old male ragdoll cross, was found dead in a neighbour's garden in Ivychurch Crescent, Scraptoft, Leicestershire, on 11 April.

The RSPCA said the pet was killed by a free-running snare that had pulled around its neck.

Owner Zoe Roberts said: "We are all just heartbroken and my three children are devastated at losing him."

The charity, which believes the cat encountered the snare in a different garden to the one he was found in, has launched an investigation.

Snares - made from a wire noose and attached to a stake or heavy object that acts as an anchor - are used to trap animals perceived to be pests like rabbits and foxes.

'Strict rules'

Ms Roberts said: "It has been so hard to explain to [our children] how he died as a result of this and it has brought a deeper level of trauma to us all, as who could be so cruel?"

RSPCA inspector Karl Marston said: "Although a free-running snare can be used legally to trap certain species of wild mammals, if it becomes locked - either through design, poor maintenance or via improper positioning - it can kill.

"There are strict legal conditions on setting certain types of traps and if they are not set in the right way [they can capture] non-target animals, like poor Tigger.

"If this happens the person setting the trap could potentially be committing an offence."

The charity has urged anyone with information to get in touch.