July 7, 2022 5.00 pm This story is over 20 months old

Abused kittens among hundreds of animal cruelty cases in Lincolnshire

Spike in cruelty during summer months
Before and after photos of Smudge, who suffered several rib fractures of different ages, a canine fracture and the fracture of her right femur. | Photo: RSPCA

Two young kittens who suffered multiple fractured bones at the hands of their owners in Grimsby were among 227 reports of intentional harm against animals made to the RSPCA last year.

New figures have revealed that the RSPCA sees a spike in cruelty during summer months. With pet ownership on the rise, coupled with financial pressures, the charity is sadly braced for a summer of suffering in Lincolnshire.

The RSPCA receives around 90,000 calls nationally to its cruelty line every month and investigates 6,000 reports of deliberate animal cruelty, including animal fighting and hunting.

However, in the summer between June and August calls rise to 134,000 a month – three every minute and reports of cruelty soar to 7,600 each month. This equates to a heartbreaking 245 every day.

The RSPCA is appealing for help to rescue animals like two young kittens Smudge and Bean, who suffered multiple fractured bones at the hands of their owners in Grimsby.

Bean after and before the ordeal. | Photo: RSPCA

Bean’s x-ray. | Photo: RSPCA

The seven-month-old tabby kittens were rescued by the RSPCA after they had both been taken to the vets with severe injuries over a period of months. Vets began to grow suspicious that the injuries were non-accidental.

Poor Smudge suffered several rib fractures of different ages, a canine fracture and the fracture of her right femur. She had obvious lameness and was struggling to move around at all.

Her brother Bean also suffered similar injuries and had also previously been presented to the Blue Cross with a head trauma, a broken tail, a left hind femoral fracture, three fractured ribs and a possible dislocated jaw.

Smudge and Bean were both rehomed by the RSPCA York, Harrogate and District Branch who rehabilitated the kittens and helped them learn to trust people once more.

Smudge with new owner Alice. | Photo: RSPCA

Bean enjoying time with Jaime. | Photo: RSPCA

The charity launched its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign on Thursday, July 7 to raise funds to help its rescue teams, and to raise awareness about how to stop cruelty to animals for good.

The campaign saw the release of an emotional video following the story of Inspector Lauren Bailey who rescued Buddy. Buddy is a mastiff-cross who suffered second degree burns from boiling hot water and was left in pain for 10 days.

The RSPCA said that overall the number of reports made to the charity’s cruelty line about animals being inflicted with intentional harm – including beatings, mutilations such as ear cropping, poisonings and even killings – has increased by 7.9% from summer 2020 to last summer, which saw more than 2,300 reports in June and July alone.

The charity received 1,081,018 calls to its Cruelty Line in 2021. This included reports of 1,094 killings , 632 mutilations, 7,857 beatings, and 38,087 abandonments.

The RSPCA’s frontline teams need the public’s help to Cancel Out Cruelty – see more information on how you can support the charity here.

Dermot Murphy, Chief Inspectorate Officer at the RSPCA, said: “These figures are shocking and deeply upsetting and show why we need your help to save those animals who need us the most now more than ever. As a charity, we are bracing to tackle a summer of suffering but we cannot do this without your help.”