Cat caught in illegal trap in Salisbury is recovering
A cat named August is recovering after getting caught in an illegal leg-hold trap in Salisbury last month.
August’s owner, Randee Michaud, knew something was wrong when her cat didn’t greet her in the driveway on June 27 as he had done each morning for the previous two years, according to a statement from the MSPCA.
“I whistled and called and minutes went by before he emerged between two houses, sped by me and ran up the stairs to my house dragging this rusty trap that had gripped around the side of his body,” she said in the statement. “He was crying and so scared—and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Randee Michaud couldn’t remove the trap on her own.
Michaud wasn’t able to free him from the trap on her own, so she took him to the Newbury Animal Hospital where he was put under general anesthesia as a veterinary team worked to free him. According to the MSPCA, after the trap was removed, August had to undergo surgery to remove infected skin and tissue damaged by the trap.
Laura Hagen, deputy director of MSPCA-Angell, said in a statement about the incident that legislative limits on trapping are more important than ever.
“Make no mistake: the trap in which August was ensnared was illegally placed,” she said. “Our concern is that should trapping again secure a foothold in Massachusetts we will see many more trapping related injuries and deaths, among wildlife and pets alike.”
Michaud is now going to keep her pet indoors.
“I’m so glad he survived and I hope his story inspires every pet owner to rail against these cruel and inhumane traps,” she said.
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