When Peter Reid's cat, Tasha, went missing from his home in Summerland, B.C. last week, he was worried sick.
But when Tasha finally managed to make her way back four days later, that worry turned to disgust. Reid quickly noticed the furry little cat's leg was caught in a metal trap.
"To me, this is barbaric," he told CTV News while examining the trap. "And it could happen to any dog or cat, even a little kid."
It's unclear where the trap was laid, but one thing is certain: Tasha's journey dragging it back to her owner's property was a painful one.
Reid said the trap was so tight on his cat's leg, it left an opening of mere millimetres for him to insert something to wedge the jaws apart and set her free.
Tasha ended up at the Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital in West Kelowna. Dr. Moshe Oz said it's clear the cat's leg will have to be amputated.
"The amount of damage that something like this can do, it's horrible. It's devastating. It's creating such pressure right to the bone and it's [breaking] the bone," Oz said.
"I think it's agony."
The wound is infected, but because it's in the early stages Tasha's chances of recovery are good. And though the surgery she needs is expensive, the clinic appears to be in the holiday spirit.
When Reid said he couldn't afford the procedure, the vet told him: "I guess it's my Christmas present."
Reid lives next to a bird sanctuary, and like many cat owners he lets Tasha run free. That bothers some people, and he's left wondering if someone has gone to extremes to keep neighbourhood animals away.
"I'm disgusted," he said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Kent Molgat
