A Caithness family have been left devastated after their beloved cat was killed just yards from their home.
Donna Booth heard “loud high-pitch screams” on Hogmanay, but it was not until the next day she realised it was her cat, Bodhi.
The five-year-old was discovered by a neighbour under a bench near Wick River.
Ms Booth, 44, of Miller Avenue, Wick, said: “In the evening I heard a horrible noise, really loud high pitch scream. By the time I got my two dogs shut in, and got a torch is has stopped. I went about the garden with the torch and the hen was fine.
“I never really thought anything more until Bodhi didn’t come in for his breakfast.
“I saw a post on Facebook saying that a cat had been found under a bench at the shed near the river. The worst thing is I can’t get the noise out my head, and now knowing what it was.”
She decided to speak out to raise awareness among other pet owners in the area.
Last night, the Scottish SPCA condemned the attack.
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Thankfully the majority of Scots regard cruelty towards animals as unacceptable and unthinkable, but there is a minority of people out there who think it’s acceptable to treat cats, in particular, like rubbish.
“Because of their free-roaming nature, cats are often subjected to cruelty and ill-treatment at the hands of complete strangers.”
A police spokesman confirmed they had received a report on the incident.