A cat lover claims his beloved pet was stabbed in a late night attack in coastal Angus.
Merchant Navy veteran Michael Duggan woke in the early hours last Saturday to find Sweep horrifically injured in his Ferryden home.
The nine-year-old tabby ca suffered a six-inch slash wound in her shoulder area, which Mr Duggan is convinced was inflicted with a knife.
She was rushed to a vet in Abbey Vet Clinic in Arbroath, where she was treated with 26 stitches.
Mr Duggan reported the attack immediately to police.
He said: “It’s disgusting.
“I keep asking myself the question, ‘who could have done this?’”
He said: “I was working at a church and I came back on the Friday evening and fed her and she was in the house when I went to bed.
“There is a flap so she can get in and out.
“I woke at about 2.30am and got the fright of my life when I went into the kitchen and she was there with this wound on her.”
‘It was no accident’
Asked if he could have mistaken an accidental wound for a deliberate attack with a blade, Mr Duggan is adamant his pet was slashed.
“As soon as I saw her I knew it was sharp instrument – the cut was about six inches in her shoulder, it was no accident.
“I had to get someone to get us to the vet because I don’t drive anymore and I was worried sick about her.”
He said the matter has been reported to Police Scotland and an officer was awaiting a report back from the vet before progressing the investigation.
Mr Duggan has recently reported a series of anti-social incidents around his home area.
One issue is the rise in late night gatherings at a nearby park.
“People get up to all sorts”, he said, noting the unusual smell of smoke often coming from the area.
Days before Sweep was attacked, Mr Duggan was awoken in the early hours to see two strangers shining a light through his kitchen window.
Sweep is now safely back home but is not her usual friendly self.
“Her downfall was she’d come for everybody” says Mr Duggan.
Mr Duggan originally from Glasgow, moved to the seaside village of Ferryden after many years in the Merchant Navy.
Police Scotland did not respond to a request for comment about Mr Duggan’s allegation.
