Cat killed with fireworks

9:26am Friday 3rd November 2006

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A New Addington family was devastated this week when they found their much-loved cat had been killed by a firework.

Reg Purkiss, 35, from King Henry's Drive, was called by neighbours early on Tuesday morning after his cat Tigger was found outside his home.

When Reg saw the 12-year-old cat, which had burns marks all over its body, he realised it had not been run over but killed by a firework.

Reg said: "I went over to the other side of the road and it was Tigger. He had burn marks all around his bottom and I am sure that it was a firework that has killed him."

The family's two young children have been left heartbroken by the death of Tigger and Reg's nine-year-old daughter Stephanie had to be kept home from school as she was so upset.

Reg added: "Tigger was almost as old as my son so they have had him around all their lives. For him to die in such a horrible way is just awful for them."

The family said large numbers of fireworks had been set off in the neighbourhood in the past few weeks.

"I have lived around New Addington for around 35 years but have never known anything like this to happen around here," Reg said, "I suspect that it was kids, I just can't imagine that adults would do anything so cruel. Fireworks are just too accessible nowadays, anyone can get hold of them - something has to be done about it."

A spokesman for the RSPCA said that over the weekend of Bonfire night last year there were 255 calls made to its cruelty line to report firework-related incidents.

The spokesman added: "Thousands of calls are received by the society each year on firework-related incidents. In 2005 we received an 82 per cent increase in the number of calls about distressed and injured animals on and around Bonfire night.

"The RSPCA believes the increasing number of incidents proves the Government should do more to combat the suffering fireworks cause animals."