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Agony of cat found impaled on railings
BAD luck struck for black cat Jack - when he used up plenty of his fabled nine lives by falling onto rusty railings and impaling his front right leg.
Three-year-old Jack had to be cut free by firefighters after his leg was pierced by a wrought iron spike.
The stricken puss was found by his frantic owners who went searching for him after he disappeared from home the day before.
Nicola Milbourn, of Wortley Avenue, Swinton, Rotherham, found Jack on the fence on neighbouring Crossland Street and raised the alarm.
When firefighters arrived to help the fed-up feline they had to use a battery-powered saw to cut the spike from the fence.
Then they used their fire engine to rush Jack to Arncliffe Veterinary Centre in Wath Upon Dearne for emergency treatment.
The cat underwent surgery at the Doncaster Road clinic, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Today Nicola and her partner Robert Hulme, both 32, urged Rotherham Council to remove the iron railings which run alongside a footpath behind a housing estate before another animal - or a child - is hurt.
Robert said: "The fence Jack was impaled on is a rusty two feet high wrought iron fence in front of a newer seven feet high concrete fence. There is just no need for it to be there.
"It is bad enough that our cat got injured on it, but it could easily have been a kid."
Robert, who has contacted Rotherham Council to ask for the fence to be removed, added: "It needs to be taken down before it is too late."
Robert and Nicola had been searching for Jack for hours since he vanished the day before.
Rotherham fire station crew manager Gary Willoughby said: "We don't know how long the cat had been impaled on the fence, but it had been missing for a day or so."
Crew manager Willoughby held Jack gently while his colleague Phil Webster carefully cut through the fence.
Jack still had a section of the fence through his leg when he was taken to the vet.
"The owners had been out looking for the cat - it was in pain and a bit of shock I think when I had hold of it because it was barely moving," said crew manager Willoughby.
"Its owners were distressed too, but just glad that we had been able to help."
He said: "Rotherham Council has been asked to remove the fence because there is no need for it. It could be a child next time."
Robert said: "We are thankful to the firefighters for their response - they told us Jack had well and truly used up his nine lives, and we agree."
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
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Wind direction: South east
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