RSPCA inspector Becky Griffiths has told of her horror after finding a cat tied up in a pillowcase and stuffed down a drain in Chippen-ham.

A member of the public heard noises coming from a covered drain at the side of the road in Larkham Rise on the afternoon of March 19.

On closer inspection, they spotted the pillowcase moving in the drain, and called the national animal rescue charity, which sent Mrs Griffiths to the rescue.

The friendly tabby and tortoiseshell moggy, which has now found a loving new temporary home, had been in the dark, dank drain for up to two days.

“I’ve been an inspector with the RSPCA for 13 years, and I was absolutely horrified,” said Mrs Griffiths.

“I’m quite hardened to these kinds of things now, but I was shocked and sickened.”

The inspector said the cat, which was not micro-chipped, appeared to be traumatised by its ordeal in the dark, but was otherwise healthy and in good condition.

“Luckily, the drain she was found in was dry, but if there had been heavy rain, she could have faced a horrendous death by drowning,” she said.

“It’s obvious that she is well-handled. She is docile and affectionate, and aged somewhere between one and three years old, so it’s hard for us to tell how she ended up there.

“She had soiled herself in her time down there, and was soaked in urine, so we were able to guess that she had been in the drain for around 48 hours.”

The RSPCA is now appealing for information in a bid to find the owner of the cat, renamed Annie, and discover who was responsible for her being trapped in the drain.

“This was a deliberate and terrible thing to do,” said Mrs Griffiths.

“A large single knot had been tied in the top of the pillowcase, and someone had just abandoned her to die.”

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the RSPCA cruelty or information line on 0300 1234 999 and leave a message for Inspector Becky Griffiths. Calls are in confidence.

Under the Animal Welfare Act anyone found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal can face up to six months in prison and/or a £20,000 fine.