Dog fighting gangs are stealing cats and dogs to use as bait!
28 June 2015
Alyson posted the following to the Facebook page about this growing problem:
"We appreciate that sometimes circumstances mean that cats have to be given up and rehomed. We would urge anyone in this position only to rehome their cat through a reputable charity or voluntary organisation or with family/friends and not through local buy and sell pages. We have been made aware of situations where dog fighters have sent wives/girlfriends and children to houses to pick up cats which have been offered "free to a good home"; these poor animals will later be used as bait in fights.
There has also been a report in one of the local papers about people trying to steal cats for use as bait for dog fighters. In this case, a couple were sitting in a car with a cat basket, trying to coax the cat to come to them with cat treats. Luckily a neighbour confronted them and the cat is OK. Please be extra vigilant about anyone showing an interest in your, or a neighbour's, cat.
This post is not intended to scare anyone, just to ask you to look out for your local cats and make it harder for them to be taken."
These appalling and cruel people are also after dogs as well as cats. In the case mentioned above the couple spotted were captured on CCTV and reported to the police. We would ask anyone spotting suspicious behaviour like this to report it to the police, with car registration details if possible; hopefully the police will take notice.
I'm sure none of us wants to see any cat (or dog) put through the horrific experiences bait animals suffer at the hands of these people so please do be very vigilant when trying to rehome pets and also keep a look out in your neighbourhood for any suspicious behaviour.