Family's beloved pet cat rescued after being trapped in charity collection bin

Fortunately, a passer-by heard the cat cries for help from inside the bin on The Water Tower Pub in Hemsworth Road, Norton, near Sheffield.

They called the RSPCA who Inspector Kim Greaves found a microchip in the cat which revealed her name was Martha.

Martha lived in a nearby street and was soon reunited with her grateful owners.

But now the charity is appealing to find the culprit who callously dumped the cat into the bin, and left her for dead.

Inspector Greaves said: “These charity bins take some pushing open and it is impossible that Martha made herself in there on her own.

“Apparently she is a friendly cat so someone has taken advantage of her sweet nature and then callously dumped her before walking off and leaving her in a situation which could very easily have led to her death.

“If she had not been found she could have starved or if the bin was collected she would have almost certainly have died. She was discovered in the bin on Wednesday, November 24 and her owner said she had been missing for 12 hours.”

“I am now appealing for anyone with any information about who is responsible to contact the RSPCA appeals line number on 0300 123 8018.

Martha is now happily recovering from her ordeal at home - but her owners are keen to warn other pet owners in the area to be vigilant.

Martha’s owner, who does not want to be named, said: “We are so grateful to the person who found Martha and the RSPCA for bringing her home.

“I hope the person who did this is found - and at the very least they realise how their irresponsible behavior could have led to tragedy if the bin was collected or she was not found.

“She is such a lovely friendly cat - she has distinctive dark colouring on her eyebrows which make her look angry - but she is such a sweetheart.”

Animal rescue officer Liz Braidey has been trying to find any CCTV of the incident but has so far found none covering that area.

She added: “This incident really does show just how important microchipping your pet is. Microchipping your cat means that should they be lost, or injured they can easily be returned to you. It is a very easy procedure which involves a tiny microchip being quickly and simply inserted under the animal’s skin and this then gives the pet their own unique code.

"The microchip can be scanned and matched to the owner’s contact details which are kept on a database.

“While collars and tags can easily be removed – microchipping identifies pets permanently and effectively. If an owner moves house or changes their telephone number they must also make sure that they tell the database they are registered with so that they have up-to-date contact details.”