A STONEHOUSE couple had to have their beloved cat put down to relieve her pain after she was deliberately set upon by thugs.

Starchy their pet was nowhere to be seen when Lee Wilmot and Christie Horton returned from a weekend away on Monday, October 10.

When the five-year-old puss eventually returned over a week later on Tuesday, October 18 the couple were horrified at the state she was in.

Mr Wilmot, 32, explained how the once affectionate and mischievous black and white cat had lost all of her enthusiasm for life.

"She had lost loads of weight, she was limp, very placid and lifeless really."

The cat - so named because of her fondness for licking the starchy potato peel from her owner's hands - was taken to see a vet at the RSPCA clinic in Lansdown, Stroud.

"The first words the vet said was that it looked like she has been hit by a blunt object," said Miss Horton, 26.

The vet told the couple that with no broken bones, it was unlikely that Starchy had been hit be a car.

She was however suffering from a paralysed tail, as well as from severe internal injuries that left her incontinent.

The couple reluctantly had to have the animal put down.

"It would have been cruel to keep her alive," said Mr Wilmot.

"I have grown very fond of her. I started telling my son but he was so upset I had to change the subject."

The couple have since reported the incident to police, as they now believe the animal's injuries were caused by a deliberate and cruel attack.

"We just hope this kind of thing is not happening regularly in our area," said Mr Wilmot.

"People need to grow up basically and see who they are affecting. A cat can't fight back, I just can't see the point of it."

Becky Hawkes, spokesman for the RSPCA, said: "Abusing an animal is an appalling and criminal act."