By JESSE GRAHAM
A MONTROSE pet owner has warned residents to beware of dangerous and illegal traps in bushland after an horrific incident late last year.
Deborah Fisher’s 10-year-old cat, Posh, went for a wander around the family property in late November last year as normal, but panic began to set in when the cat had not returned by the following day.
A week later, the family found Posh – severely dehydrated, injured and malnourished but luckily alive.
Posh had escaped from a rusty old rabbit trap that had crushed one of her legs and trapped her for a week.
The cat was taken to an emergency vet and the leg was amputated.
Shortly after, the family found the metal trap and a number of others at the edge of their property.
“We scoured the fenceline, and it was along there,” Ms Fisher said.
She said the family had been responsible with their pets over the years, and was now left out of pocket over $4000 for Posh’s medical bills.
Ms Fisher said the traps may have been spurred on by people being encouraged to trap wandering cats under the Yarra Ranges Cat Curfew, but noted that the steel jaw traps were illegal – and inhumane.
“It’s barbaric and it’s something out of the dark ages,” she said.
AnimalAid Spokesperson Deborah Boland said there had been two cases of cats injured by steel jaw traps reported in two weeks late last year, and said the traps caused unnecessary suffering.
“I cannot speak harshly enough about people who choose to set traps like that – it’s not only illegal, it’s archaic,” she said.
“She (Posh) is very lucky to be alive.”
RSPCA Victoria Inspectorate Manager Allie Jalbert confirmed that the steel jaw traps were illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, due to their potential to cause “extreme” pain and suffering.
“Many people do not know that it is also illegal to purchase one of these traps unless you can prove you are a museum or antiques collector,” she said.
“Just the act of setting a trap is a cruelty offence, regardless if it has caused injury or not.”
Yarra Ranges Council Director of Planning, Building and Health Andrew Paxton said that people wanting to capture wandering cats could get humane traps from the council.
He said rangers would collect the traps once the animal was caught and attempt to contact the owner, or take the animal to AnimalAid to be collected.
Under the cat curfew, cats must be confined to their owner’s property at all times.
Ms Fisher told the Mail in December that Posh was already on the mend and had begun to wander around the property again.
