ROLLO, a two year old tabby, has been subjected to what vets believe is a deliberate attack where a tiny wire noose was embedded around her waist so tightly it couldn't be seen through the fur.

Owner, Richard Pocock, from King Alfreds Road in Sedbury, says this is the third cat they've had attacked in 'nearly as many years' with one dying from suspected anti-freeze poisoning.

He said: "We want people to be aware that someone out there is doing something."

Richard says Rollo came in at about midnight.

"I noticed there was something wrong because she couldn't jump onto the bed or climb at all, which is unusual, and she obviously wasn't happy and really uncomfortable.

"The wire was so deeply embedded in her fur and skin that we couldn't see it at all."

Vet Mike Gibb from Severnside Vets, Lydney, who operated on Rollo, said in his opinion the wire could only have been deliberately wrap­ped around the cat – it could not have gone headfirst into a snare because there wouldn't have been room.

"When we saw the cat it was unable to jump or move properly and was clearly distressed. There was a dip in the back and whatever was there was totally encircling the abdomen.

"I've never seen this sort of injury before, I've seen air gun pellets and so on, but nothing like this. After we sedated the cat we managed to cut the wire. I've no doubt that the wire was placed by a person or persons. The cat had to be held and the rigid wire placed around its middle – at about our belt level. To hold the cat and put that round must have involved a couple of people, although that's only a premise."

•The police have been informed.