RSPCA inspector in tears after cat is set on fire in ‘premeditated’ attack in Hampshire

The charred remains of the feline were discovered on a lane near Basingstoke.

An elderly woman found the body while driving along Kiln Road, in Sherborne St John, between 8am and 8.30am on Sunday morning.

The ferocious heat from the blaze had melted the surface of the road where the animal was lying.

Deputy chief inspector Hannah Boyle, who attended the incident, said: ‘I’ve been working as an inspector for over three years and I can honestly say this is one of the most cruel, sad and upsetting things I have ever seen or been called to deal with.

‘Such was the condition of the body that we can’t say whether this poor animal was alive before he or she was callously set on fire, but even if this wasn’t the case, what sort of person gets pleasure or thinks it's funny to do this to someone’s pet?’

It is not known whether the cat was already dead when the animal was set alight.

The scorched nature of the torso made it impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

Burnt remains of what could have been a collar were also found at the scene – disintegrated in the heat.

In shock, the motorist stopped, picked up the corpse, and contacted the RSPCA.

DCI Boyle said this was a deliberate act of cruelty.

She added: ‘The body still smelled very strongly of smoke when I arrived, which suggests to me that the cat had only recently been set on fire, and from everything I saw at the scene I believe it was premeditated.

‘The tufts of fur that weren’t singed and charred were pale in colour, so we think this was probably a white or pale-coloured cat.

‘He or she was obviously someone’s much loved pet as there were the disintegrated remains of a collar near the body and a flattened area of fur around the neck where the collar would have sat.

‘I visited the finder at her house to retrieve the body and to say thank you for stopping, and we shed a few tears together. Like me, she’s a cat owner and there are just no words to describe how we felt when we saw what had happened.

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‘If you know anything about this incident, I would urge you to contact the RSPCA.

‘If you live locally and you are missing a cat that matches this description, we can only imagine your worry and upset, but please do contact us so we can talk to you further.’

Smashed green glass from a bottle of wine was also found, though considered isolated in nature.

Posters have been put up in the local area appealing to people to contact the RSPCA’s inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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