REPORTS of cats being ‘abused’ and ‘maimed’ in and around Witney have shaken the community's animal lovers.

A surge in pet owners coming forward to speak out about apparent deliberate assaults on their cats has seen stories of illegal traps and poisonings come to the forefront.

Cat owners and a Witney councillor have contacted the town’s neighbourhood policing team in a bid to end to the animal cruelty.

Many of the incidents have taken place around Lancut Road in the Smiths Estate.

A black and white male cat named Domino was found in agony with a shattered leg after being caught in an illegal trap on Monday, April 24.

Another cat, named Midnight, in the street was found in incredible pain by its owner on Sunday morning, and has been told by the vet it is the result of some form of poisoning.

Samantha Hammond is the owner of 11-month-old Midnight.

She said: “I personally believe this was no accident, the same as the vets suspect given that it’s on the same street as the poor kitty that was caught in the trap.

“She didn’t deserve this. I'm aware people may not like cats but there is no need to put poison down.

“Even on the off-chance this was an accident, people need to be more aware of which chemicals can kill cats.”

Another two-year-old cat living in nearby Windrush Valley Road was found dead last month in another case of suspected poisoning.

Mike’s owner, mum-of-three Victoria Smith, said she feels that someone in the area hates cats, adding that young cats dying and falling seriously ill within such a short period of time is too much of a coincidence.

Mandy Kitson, 50, an animal lover who lives in Lancut Road with her husband, is alarmed at the recent spate of incidents.

She said: “I think there’s somebody going around and harming cats. You don’t want things like this happening in the nice little community I see Witney being.

“I’ve lived here for eight years and nothing like this has ever happened. Somebody has inflicted damage on these cats and it worries me because I think where the hell does it go to from here?”

The incidents of cat abuse are not just limited to Witney, with Ducklington mum-of-three Kerry Ann Smith returning home to find her cat Tiddles with a broken tail and other serious injuries.

Ms Smith took the six-year-old feline to the vet, who got back in touch with her after an examination of the creature and said the injuries were the result of an attempted molestation by a human.

She said: “It took me the whole day before it sank in. It just didn’t seem real. It’s an awful horrible thing.

“It would be easier to take if it was some kind of accident but this is just hard to understand."

Tiddles had to have her tail removed and internal wounds stitched. She is receiving ongoing treatment.

With Ms Smith struggling to pay for the treatment, she set up a crowdfunding page, which has so far raised nearly £700.

Cat owners have contacted county councillor Laura Price to discuss the issue, who has in turn reported it to the town’s neighbourhood policing team.

She said: “I'm horrified to have heard reports of cats being abused and maimed. Animal cruelty is a criminal offence and I have passed on concerns from residents to our local police team who I know will take it very seriously.

“I hope that our community can come together and put an end to this.”

Police have advised members of the public to report any instances of animal cruelty to ourselves on 101 and the RSPCA.

Tracie McGrory, Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support Service manager at Burford, said: “It is very sad to hear that so many cats have suffered like this. Pets are part of the family and losing one can be devastating.

"Although we hope no one would be so cruel as to deliberately harm animals in this way, we would ask owners to be vigilant and to keep their cat indoors at night."