TWO local men saved the life of a ­pregnant cat last week when they found it with a vicious trap around its leg.

The cat had managed to crawl with the trap attached along the road near The Mounts in East Allington, but did not get far owing to the fact that the trap was bigger and heavier than the cat herself.

A police spokesman said: 'On Tuesday, April 28, two local men found a distressed cat at the side of the road near The Mounts in East Allington. Upon ­closer inspection the terrified animal was found to have an illegal 'gin trap' clasped around its front paw.'

A gin trap is an illegal pressure trap that results in serious injury to any ­animal. This one had cut the cat's leg down to the bone and splintered the leg and foot into shards.

The cat's rescuers, Rory Shillabeer and Paul Harris, who work for Western Power, saw the cat on the way back from a job in the Harberton area.

'Paul noticed she wasn't getting out the way of the car like a normal cat, so we reversed and had a look,' related Rory. 'By that time it had scrambled into a hedge. A lady a few cars back also stopped and gave us a blanket and Paul got some gloves and tried to catch her.

'She was frightened and in pain, so she was being defensive, but we got the ­blanket over her and then I held her in the Land Rover until we got to the vets.

'She bit Paul through the glove so we went to hospital and they gave him a tetanus jab, but he's fine. The poor little thing – those traps are illegal and a child or dog could have been caught in it.'

Paul branded the use of the trap 'absolutely disgusting' and added that there were a lot of bridle paths in the area, so lots of animals would be at risk.

He said it is not the first animal he has helped as he comes across them on the job.

'You can't just walk by,' he said. 'You have to help out in this world.'

When the trap was removed, the full extent of the injuries could be seen, and unfortunately the cat has lost its entire leg.

The cat is not microchipped and South Moor Vets is keen to find the owners. She is around one to two years old, black with three white feet and a white belly and pregnant.

Jonathan Lamming, the vet who dealt with the cat, said he had never seen a case like this in his 37 years of practice.

'These traps have been illegal since 1958,' he said. 'I'm surprised and amazed that there are still some in existence and in use. In my opinion this wasn't one that had been in a field for 50 years and ­forgotten about, it was in use. I imagine someone was using it against an animal they considered a pest, but it could harm anything smaller than a cow, such as deer, rabbits, badgers or foxes.'

He said that, despite the obvious injuries, the cat was perfectly healthy, no fleas or mites and no sign of disease; he thinks it may be a feral or farm cat as she is not fond of being handled, although her ordeal could have contributed to this.

'She could have lasted a week if she hadn't been found', he added. 'As far as I could tell, she'd been in the trap ­anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.'

Jonathan said the trap had smashed all her metatarsal bones and her pads were cold below the injury, meaning she had lost the blood supply to that area.

The wound was 'grossly contaminated' with grit and mud, he said, so his early hope of being able to repair her paw was short-lived and he decided to amputate her leg just below the shoulder.

The stress of the ordeal had also caused her to abort one of her foetuses, but the others should make it to term.

'I think she was around four to five weeks pregnant, about half-way through,' said Jonathan, adding that he considered spaying her while she was under anaesthetic, but considered it too much stress to put her through after her injury.

'Some people might think I'm wrong and we'll just end up with more unwanted kittens, but it would have been too much for her,' he said.

Police say it is illegal to use, set or own these traps for use. They are keen to speak with anyone with information about this incident or about similar traps being used in the area.

Police have also made a plea for all illegal traps to be decommissioned with immediate effect and disposed of safely.

The RSPCA is also investigating, but any information can be passed on to the police by calling 101.

The cat has been moved to Little Valley in Exeter, where she will be looked after. If she is not claimed, she will be put up for rehoming.

Microchipping is a safe and cheap way to trace your pet if it goes missing or gets injured. Dogs will have to be microchipped by law from next April.

South Moor Vets can microchip your cat for £15 and it takes less than 10 minutes. It can also perform spaying and castrations to ensure cats do not produce litters of ­kittens with no homes to go to. To book an appointment, call 01548 852766.