Horror attack on pet cat, Lyme Regis

THIS shocking picture shows the torment of a pet cat that has endured a four-week battle for survival after being doused in detergent. Vets say two-year-old grey tabby Jasper is only alive today through his sheer will to live.

THIS shocking picture shows the torment of a pet cat that has endured a four-week battle for survival after being doused in detergent.

Vets say two-year-old grey tabby Jasper is only alive today through his sheer will to live.

It is believed strong detergent was thrown over the pet to shoo him off a garden.

Almost a month after being attacked in Lyme Regis, Jasper is still being fed by tube. His mouth was so horrifically damaged by the liquid that his tongue and soft pallette fused together, meaning an operation.

Jasper's owner, Sarah Tait, 25, of Queens Walk, hopes this shocking photograph will warn people to think twice before they throw liquid over cats.

"I am so angry at whoever did this. It has been devastating, especially for my four-year-old daughter, Cady," she told the Midweek Herald.

"Jasper has had to go through so much."

Miss Tait did not recognise Jasper when she found him struggling to breathe near her home.

"He is still being cared for by vets and my bill, up until last Friday, was �1,600."

Vet Doug Hathorn, of the Haydon Veterinary Group in Bridport, said: "Jasper is a resilient cat. He has got a real will to live.

"I think somebody tried to chase him away with a liquid that contained strong detergent. Jasper has then tried to lick it off and ingested it, which has caused a lot of tissue damage.

"The lining of his tongue, gums and throat have lost their top layers, leaving raw tissue."

Mr Hathorn says Jasper is unlikely to be able to eat for another two weeks.

"Without nurses feeding him through a tube four, five or six times a day, he wouldn't have made it," he said.