Poison pen letter for 'bully' cat

A cat that keeps stealing food and fighting other cats was threatened in an anonymous letter, police said.

Smudge the cat disappeared from his home in Huntingdon, Cambs, two weeks ago. He was found five days later with a note placed under his collar.

The letter, addressed "To whom it may concern" said: "Keep your cat indoors... If I catch it again it will be for the last time."

A Cambs Police spokeswoman said they were looking into the incident.

Smudge's owners, who have asked not to be identified, have also reported the incident to the RSPCA.

'Bullying' cats

The family said eight-year-old Smudge was found with the note on a piece of paper torn out of a notebook tucked under his collar.

It read: "Your cat 'Smudge' keeps coming into my home, eating my cats' food and fighting with my cats.

"I'm sick of it bullying my cats and causing fights at stupid hours of the late evening/early morning disturbing my sleep.

"I'd advise you strongly to keep your cat indoors in the evening. If I catch it again it will be for the last time and you will not see Smudge again."

Legal warning

On Friday a police spokeswoman said: "We would ask anyone who has any information about the cat or the writer of the letter to contact us."

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "You occasionally get verbal arguments about animals behaving like this but I've never heard of anyone writing threatening letters."

People are advised not to feed the cat or to talk to the owner, if there is a problem, she said.

"We would warn anyone thinking of harming an animal that they could face prosecution," the RSPCA spokeswoman said.