A CAT found wandering with horrific injuries has been rescued by York RSPCA staff after it became entangled in its own collar.

Hobson, an adult male cat, was found wandering in February on farmland near Harrogate. He had deep flesh wounds after his elastic collar had slipped from his neck and under his front leg.

The wound required surgery and a long period of recovery, and has prompted a warning from staff at the RSPCA centre in Landing Lane, York, about the dangers of elastic cat collars.

Geraldine Murgatroyd, an animal welfare worker at Landing Lane, said: “It had cut into his skin and was almost down to the muscle under his leg.

“It had cut all the way around and left only three inches of skin on his shoulder.

“People think these elastic collars are the best, but they are not.

“We tend to get about three of these incidents a year, but this was the worst case I have seen in the three years I have been here. He needed quite a lot of surgery.

“The poor cat ended up with 30 staples holding the wound together.”

The RSPCA is now recommending cat owners nationwide buy collars which come with a “quick-release safety buckle” which undo if pressure is applied to them. Susie Hughes, of the RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch, said she heard criticism from cat owners who said their pets continually lost their quick-release collars.

She said: “Our response is ‘good, it means they are doing their job’, and surely their beloved companion is worth £2.50 a time.”

After recovering from his injury, Hobson is now looking for a new home with loving owners.

Miss Murgatroyd said: “He has a super personality – he even purred when we pulled his staples out.”

Anyone interested in giving a home to Hobson is asked to phone York RSPCA animal home on 01904 654949.