A woman has been banned from keeping animals for a year after she tried to cure her cat’s cancer with manuka honey.

Denise Smith, from Northampton believed it had healing properties but the animal had to have its leg amputated, Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court heard,.

The 58-year-old was found guilty at of causing unnecessary suffering to creature called Blacky.

The cat survived the surgery and was re-homed, but eventually had to be put down after the cancer returned.

Smith was ordered to pay £615 in fines during the hearing, The Telegraph reported.

RSPCA inspector Michelle Hare said she found the cat with a bandaged leg after the charity was contacted by a member of the public on 30 August.

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"When we took the bandages off I could see that Blacky had a large and cancerous wound on her leg which was so deep it had gone down to her tendons.

"It turned out that Smith had been treating the wound with manuka honey, after reading online that it had anti-microbial properties - but it certainly isn't something which should have been used on a wound like Blacky had."

A spokesperson for the organisation added: “We would always urge people to seek veterinary advice for any issues relating to their pet’s health. Honey is used by some people on minor wounds but should only be used as a complementary treatment which should not replace veterinary care and advice.

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"In this case the owner failed to provide veterinary treatment for what was clearly a very severe wound, and we had no choice but to become involved to prevent the cat from suffering further.”

Manuka honey is made from the nectar collected by bees from the manuka tree in New Zealand.