AN appeal has been made to return an injured moggy found roaming the streets of Malmesbury, to its owner.

The cat was found on Malmesbury High Street on Friday night, without a tag and looking in a sorry state.

He was spotted by resident Alison Cross-Jones, general manager of the HEALS of Malmesbury charity, when she was having a meal with a friend at the Kings Arms pub.

“We saw him wandering around, using his nine lives up,” said Alison.

“We were wondering what a cat was doing on the high street so went out and managed to persuade him with some ham from my plate that he should let us help him.

“He was very timid and frightened and scared, bless him.”

A kind Malmesbury resident, who prefers not to be identified, took the cat in for the night, before he was taken to a Garden Vets the next day.

The vets advised Alison to get a log number from the RSPCA, which means the charity could cover immediate and urgent costs, such as some painkillers for the cat.

The vets later assessed him and reportedly said he will have to have his tail amputated and be put on a course of antibiotics and pain killers.

To fund the vital surgery that he needs Alison put out an appeal to the public for funds, however the RSPCA later contacted her, saying they would fund the relevant surgery.

The money therefore raised through the appeal will be donated to the Garden Vets to help pay for other stray and injured animals that arrive at their surgeries.

The cat is currently residing in a Garden Vets practice until he is well enough to move into a temporary foster home.

The foster home will look after him for one month, during which time he could still be claimed by his owner.

After the month has passed he will need a permanent home.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “It sounds like this poor kitten was in a very bad way.

“We'd like to say thank you to the lady who was able to get this kitten quickly to a vets allowing it to have a great chance at a speedy recovery.

“If anyone is worried about the welfare of an animal they can ring the RSPCA emergency line on 0300 123 4999 but if you are near to a local vets and the animal is in a desperate situation this can be the best option to get treatment as quickly as possible.”

The RSPCA has advice for anyone looking to foster a cat, and the charity often offer ‘start-up kits’ to people who do so.

For more information visit rspca.org.uk