A TODDLER is smiling again as his pet car recovers from a sickening attack.

But his dad has condemned the thug who captured friendly Snoop the cat, bound him tight with wire and left him to suffer until he staggered home.

Little Oryan Lightning, aged two and a half, dad Sean and his girlfriend Alison Fish, of Winwick Road, then spent an anxious 24 hours during which vets operated on their nine-year family friend.

Snoop now appears to be on the road to recovery but is understandably wary of strangers.

Sean, aged 30, said: "There was a piece of wire twisted all around him - it was sick. We thought he had been shot. Now he has got a scar across his back and is very skittish."

The family became worried when Snoop did not return after a night out. They fear nobody will be brought to book for Snoop's nightmare.

"My little boy is a lot happier now. All we got from him was he wanted to see the cat and he perked up straight away when Snoop returned from the vets."

Animal lovers were horrified after the GUARDIAN revealed the disturbing fate, a fortnight ago, of four-month old tabby Ellie, who belonged to Walton Hall ranger Peter Cookson. Thugs left her to die after setting her alight and a reward has now been offered to catch the culprits.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.