Cat was floating on river in a box with brick on top

A YOUNG female cat found floating in a box in a river with a brick on top of it is being cared for by Swansea vets.

The 18-month-old black feline found at the edge of a river near Three Cliffs Bay in Gower is one of several cats received in the past few weeks by the city's St James Veterinary Group.

A partner at the firm claims tough times in the economy are forcing some pet owners to put their furry friends up for re-homing when costs become too much.

Gareth Field works at the Gower Road branch of the St James Veterinary Group and said the surgery worked closely with the RSPCA.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013

He said incidents of malicious cruelty towards animals were rare and the identity of the cat found in the box remained a mystery.

He said: "We see quite a lot of animals being dumped or going stray.

"Fortunately, I don't see too many acts of malicious cruelty.

"We see the occasional incident but luckily they are quite rare.

"The main thing we deal with is cats which have been hit by cars.

"But a lot of people are looking to re-home cats because of cost reasons.

"We have some middle aged cats with something minor going wrong.

"Whereas before they would have been treated, a lot of charities are finding people giving up animals for cost reasons.

"Now people have to prioritise how they spend their money and often it is forcing some people to make some difficult decisions."

He said that on the whole most people were still putting their animals before themselves.

"It's just some parts of society that are hit harder than others."

Mr Field said his surgery also recently received a black Persian cat which had been found locked in a classroom cupboard at Gendros Primary School.

St James has also become home to a kitten suffering from cat flu.

Mr Field said: "He has been with us for a few weeks and we were able to treat him.

"He is now fit again and entering the re-homing process."

A cat and litter of kittens was also dumped on the doorstep of the St James Parkway Practice in a cardboard box with a note which read : "Please look after me.

"I was looked after but something happened and I can't be looked after any more."

rupert.hall@swwmedia.co.uk

01792 514597