Fundraising page set up for Tiger the cat

The injuries of 18-month-old long haired tabby cat are so severe that veterinary costs are said to run to hundreds of pounds.

The cat’s injuries are worse than the owner first thought and its owner Mrs Stephens has now set up a crowdfunding page which is https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/diana-stephens?utm_id=90

Mrs Stephens first discovered her cat a few weeks ago, when she returned home from work one day.

Her much loved cat was sitting on the front door step, and was virtually unrecognisable to her and smelt of burning wool. She took him to the vets where they discovered the feline had suffered severe burns to his back, front legs, tail and back. He is still on an antibiotic cream and tablets and is now a high risk of infection because of the open wounds.

Mrs Stephens explained when she first saw her cat, it seemed liked a stranger to her.

The mother of two said: “When I came home the cat was on the front door step and looked like somebody had shaved him. When I got closer I smelt him. The vet said it was like someone had thrown an accelerant up his back and then lit him.

“He has third degrees burns on his back and back legs and he has no fur apart from the odd tufts up his side. He has no whiskers and a burnt ear.”

Its owner said that she cannot understand why anyone would want to do this to a cat, in a rural setting.

“I don’t understand the mentality of anyone who would do this,” said Mrs Stephens. “Police believe it may have been a prank gone wrong.”

Police in Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Animal Welfare, are investigating the incident in the Kernaghan Park area on March 17.

Chief Inspector Derek McCamley said: “This is utterly disgusting. Someone has taken it upon themselves to set a family pet on fire. Tiger’s owner is shocked and very upset and all officers and staff at Lisburn and Castlereagh PSNI hope the little cat makes a full recovery.

“It is hard to understand why someone would do this to a defenceless pet but we need to know who did this.

“We are a nation of animal lovers. This incident is shocking. While we have no information to suggest that this is anything more than an isolated incident, I would ask all pet owners to make sure their animals are safe and secure.”

The police can be contacted on 101 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.