A CAT rescue centre in Oakhill near Shepton Mallet which was targeted by thieves has revealed one of their cats had to be put down following a traumatic break in.

Thieves broken into the sanctuary during the Bank Holiday weekend, August 26, and cut locks on pens resulting in many cats escaping.

Judy Knowles, who runs Compassion for Cats said after the break in a 16-year-old cat called Lexi, which was living with dementia and lost the use of most of her body, refused to eat following the traumatic incident and was so scared that she wouldn’t approach staff.

Ms Knowles said Lexi was “very badly frightened” by the ordeal and the incident caused her to experience a great amount of unnecessary stress and it is feared that she suffered a stroke.

Upon advice from the vet, Lexi was sadly put down.

Lexi Picture: Compassion for Cats

“So many of the cats were so visibly frightened by the break in,” she said. “Lexi must have had more of a shock than some of the others as she wouldn’t come close at first which was just heartbreaking.

“The break in clearly pushed her over the edge and she just refused to engage with us or eat.

“She had been through a lot, like many of our cats, and she simply didn’t deserve to be terrified like that.”

Ms Knowles said she entered the sanctuary at 5.45am to feed the cats on the Bank Holiday morning when she noticed one had wandered into the kitchen by itself.

“I was so confused at first,” she said. “When I saw the extent of the damage, I was so upset as they had even got into the pen with the more vulnerable cats – many of which were terrified and required calming down.”

She added: “This was mindless violence, plain and simple. We had nothing worth stealing and some of the damage caused cost us hundreds to fix.

Emily is still missing but has been seen in the area Picture: Compassion for Cats

“I’m struggling to understand what they were trying to achieve.”

The cat sanctuary has began installing CCTV cameras at the site following donations.

“Despite this horrible incident, I have been blown away by the messages of support from people and the kind donations we have since received,” she said.

“We have had messages from people in California, Spain and across the UK – its amazing to see everyone coming together to wish us well and hope we find the rest of the missing cats.”

There’s been no sign of Elsa Picture: Compassion for Cats

Five cats are still missing following the break in – some have been located in neighbour’s gardens.

Avon and Somerset Police are asking for witnesses or anyone with information about the incident to call 101 and quote reference number 5224224883.

You can support Compassion for Cats by donating via their website.