'I've seen some bad things, but this is one of the worst': Hunt for sick sadist who gouged out this cat's eye in horrific attack



Five cats were found with at least one eye gouged out

Traumatised cats had rotten teeth, fleas and were drenched

Three were so badly injured they had to be put down

Vet believes cats were tortured over prolonged period of time





Five mutilated cats - each with one of their eyes gouged out - have been found dumped near an animal sanctuary after an horrific attack by a sadist.



Three of the cats were so badly injured that they had to be put down.

A vet who treated the cats said the injuries looked like they had been tortured over a prolonged period of time.

Mutilated: Marmalade, one of the five cats which were tortured and dumped near an animal sanctuary. Each one had at least one of its eyes gauged out

Traumatised: Pickle, one of the tortured short-hair cats, after being treated by a vet in Lytham

Andrew Harrison, a partner at Vets4Pets in Lytham St Annes, near Preston, where the cats were treated, said: ' I’ve seen some bad things but this would be one of the worst.

' My gut feeling would be that torture had probably taken place. Some had older damage while the damage to others was quite recent. All five cats had one eye missing.

'I think the state they were left in was probably torture in itself. They were all drenched and riddled with fleas to the point where they had become anaemic '.



'All we can do now is feed them gradually, bathe them and give them as much treatment as we can and hope the remaining two survive.'

'We thought it fairer on them to put the others to sleep.'

Two of the short-hair cats were found in a cardboard box at the end of the road to Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary in Lytham on Friday.



They were found by one of the sanctuary's dog walkers.

Two more were discovered later in the day wondering through fields nearby.

And a fifth cat was found on Saturday morning.



The animals, at first thought to be kittens due to their small size, all had rotten teeth, fleas and were drenched from recent downpours.

Recovering: Two of the tortured cats with Naomi MacGregor of Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary, near where the poor animals were dumped

They all had severe cuts around their eyes and were traumatised.



The two surviving cats are still in a fragile condition but are being treated for at the sanctuary.



Easterleigh owner Mandy Leigh said: 'They had all been tortured. We often see neglect but I’ve never seen cruelty like this, it’s horrendous.

'My staff were all stunned. One girl was in shock. I can’t understand it.'



Mrs Leigh, who has run the sanctuary for 17 years, added: 'I’ll give any animal a chance but the others were past anybody’s help.

'One of the surviving cats will be blind and it’s difficult to know if they will survive.'



Mrs Leigh believed the cats may have been left by someone who had rescued them from the perpetrator of the torture.



The sanctuary is appealing for people to come forward to offer a loving home and care to the animals.



RSPCA Animal Welfare Officer, Alison Wilford, told MailOnline: 'Anyone who dumps an animal is breaking the law - to abandon them when they are in such terrible health makes this case even more callous.

'We are looking into this matter and want to hear from anyone who saw someone acting suspiciously in the area at the time when these cats were dumped or who recognises Pickle and Marmalade and knows where they have come from.'



