My Beloved Cat Oscar Survived a Snare set for 'Wild' Animals
A Wildlife Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Jayne, League Against Cruel Sports
July 2021

I live in a small, rural community where many of my neighbours are passionately pro-hunt and shooting enthusiasts. Jayne isn’t my real name, but I daren't identify myself for fear of recrimination. That’s why I haven’t shared a picture of Oliver either, though I wish I could.

Wildlife snare...

I would like to tell you Oliver's story. Although it begins over ten years ago, the memory of that dreadful day hasn’t faded at all. It’s a difficult story to tell, but I promise you, it has a happy ending.

It was a bitterly cold February morning...the ground was frozen hard. I was driving out to do my family shop, when I saw Oliver trudging slowly across a field with what I first thought was something in his mouth. He’d always been an outdoor explorer, so at first I assumed he’d become tangled in some vegetation. I then realised with horror he had a metal object clamped to his front leg. By the time he reached the fence by my side he was clearly exhausted and in agony.

Oliver is my beloved cat. He’d been caught in a trap.

Every second was vital if he was going to survive

There was no time for shopping, I had to get Oliver to the vet immediately. He was rushed into surgery within hours. The crushing injuries were so severe that amputation was the only option. He’d need at least three weeks caged convalescence which for a semi-wild cat like Oliver would be awful, but euthanasia was out of the question. I couldn’t lose him.

But, here’s the happy ending I promised you; Oliver recovered and adapted well to life on three legs. He lived a long, happy life for over a decade, although his former adventurous lifestyle was largely over. He lived well into old age, becoming firm friends with our Border Collie, despite initial misgivings!

It’s still happening every day. It needs to stop.

It’s happening all around us. Snares and traps are widely used by the shooting industry to protect their farmed ‘game’ birds from natural predators so they can be shot for ‘sport’. I’m so grateful to the League Against Cruel Sports, who are dedicated to ending the use of these brutal contraptions. Like you, I can’t bear to see the suffering of these innocent animals. Please give a little today, to help them, if you can.

I’m so thankful Oliver survived, but so many animals aren’t so lucky. These traps are indiscriminate. They cause a slow, agonizing death to any animal caught – this can be a fox, badger, rabbit or, like Oliver, a beloved companion. It’s heartbreaking.

I’ll never know who set the trap but it was probably someone I know.

I live in a small, rural community where many of my neighbours are passionately pro-hunt and shooting enthusiasts. Jayne isn’t my real name, but I daren't identify myself for fear of recrimination. That’s why I haven’t shared a picture of Oliver either, though I wish I could.

I hope you can support the League and help them to build a more compassionate society, where I don’t need to hide behind a false name to share my awful experience with you. Please give a little today, to help animals escape this terrible suffering.

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