Cats caught in traps part of growing feral animal problem

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — Some Good Samaritans found a stray cat stuck in a leg-hold trap in North Versailles recently and brought it to a shelter with a severely injured leg.

“She was stuck in this trap, she was not able to eat,” said Dr. Becky Morrow. “I can only imagine the panic that would go through an animal's mind.”

The cat was taken to Frankie’s Friends, a non-profit that cares for stray cats, in New Kensington. Veterinarians had to remove her entire front left leg to save her life.

“It's just horrific all around,” Morrow said.

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She said five cats this year have had to have limbs amputated after being stuck in traps, including this one. She says the traps are a problem she knows about personally.

“My own cat was caught in a trap when I was nine,” she said. “I wrote a letter to the editor.”

That activist spirit has not left Morrow. She says she's working with Frankie’s Friends to start petitions and talk to lawmakers about banning the traps.

“There's no reason to use a trap,” she said. “If you’re hunting, you're seeing an animal, hopefully killing the animal quickly. This just promotes suffering and cruelty.”

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The cat's prognosis is good, but she needs a lot more treatment. The hope is she'll be adopted into a loving home.

“She lost a leg. she didn't lose her life,” Morrow said.

Just a few months ago, Channel 11 told you that North Versailles, where the cat was trapped, was dealing with a feral cat problem.

Channel 11 checked in with police Thursday night, and they tell us they have not seen a spike in animal abuse cases against cats, so we are checking if this is an isolated incident.

Cox Media Group