Copycat fears as kitten found in bin at crusher

Six-month-old Smokie was discovered in the container inside the crushing machinery at a recycling centre a quarter of a mile from his home in Hull after his cries were heard by staff.

The kitten was subsequently checked over by a vet who scanned him for a microchip, allowing him to be reunited with owners Philip and Susan Hirons.

Mrs Hirons said: "Smokie has had a miraculous escape. I am really annoyed by this. Whoever did this to him must be sick.

"How did they sleep knowing he was hungry, cold, frightened and about to go into the landfill site and get buried alive?

"Smokie is just a kitten. How can someone just pick such a little thing up and dump it in a bin?"

Footage of Coventry woman Susan Bale putting a four-year-old tabby cat, Lola, into a bin in in the city last month sparked outrage and led to her receiving death threats. The 45-year-old will appear in court next month charged with two counts of animal cruelty.

Mr Hirons added: "There's no way he could have got in the bin by accident. I just cannot imagine anyone doing something like this.

"I wonder if people are copying that woman who threw a cat in a wheelie bin."

The couple were worrying about their missing kitten when they received a phone call telling them he had been rescued.

Mrs Hirons added: "Luckily, he has a tag that was scanned, otherwise we would have thought he had just been eaten by a fox.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me what happened.

"Physically, Smokie is OK, but he is more jumpy now. He is so trusting, which is why I think he was an easy target."

Pat Edwards, of Hessle Road Dog Rescue, said: "This kind of behaviour is disgusting. Some people out there do a lot of nasty things to animals."