CAT owners in Didcot have been told to put collars on their pets so they are not ‘accidentally’ taken away.
Writing on the Spotted:Didcot Facebook page an anonymous user warned owners that the RSPCA would be using ‘humane’ traps in an attempt to rescue cats and kittens abandoned in a sweltering house.
The idea is that the traps lure the pets in with food so that they can be carried away without a fuss.
Any pets with collars will be immediately released, others will be microchipped to see if they have a home.
The post said: “Can I please ask any residents local [to Mendip Heights], who may own a cat, please can you put a collar or a paper collar on your car, as over the next few days the cats left behind will be humanly caught, I would hate to accidentally capture an owned cat.”
'The five-inch' layer of animal mess where more than 20 cats were living in the hot weather without food or water.
But the post sparked some outrage, with one person saying: “I’ve woken up this morning still feeling very alarmed and upset by this.
“I imagine there are quite a few people who do not use Facebook and have cats with no collars too, many cats do not have collars.
“No details have been provided about [where they are being taken] and when they will return, nothing.”
But Emma Maliska, who found the pets in the horror house, tried to clear things up by saying that she ‘isn’t collecting cats’, saying: “This hasn’t been fun for me, what I’ve witnessed will stay with me forever.”
She added: “Please don’t panic…we will get all cats checked for a chip, we will also take photos of all cats, we are pretty certain we know which ones to catch and we are hopeful that some of these cats once had loving homes we can help reunite.”
Thames Valley Police said they had arrived to the Didcot house on Saturday at around 10pm after the discovery of a ‘large number of animals inside’.
The RSPCA is leading the investigation, they are yet to provide an update.
In extreme scenarios bad pet owners can be banned from keeping animals for life.
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