Cat with ears cut off named Vincent van Gogh by vets

Vets name stray cat who had his ears cut off ‘Vincent van Gogh’ amid a string of injured pets in Norwich over the past fortnight

• A stray cat whose ears were cut off has been renamed Vincent Van Gogh
• Lottie Sparkes, head nurse at Taverham Vets in Norwich, treated the cat
• Norfolk Police said there were five incidents of cats being attacked in two weeks 

A stray cat who had both ears cut off ‘right to the base of the head’ has been named Vincent Van Gogh by the vets who saved him.

Lottie Sparkes is the head nurse at Taverham Vets in Norwich, where two cats were sent for treatment after they were found with both ears cut off.

And Norfolk Police said there have been five incidents of cats being attacked by humans over the last two weeks.

Stray cat Vincent van Gogh was found with both ears cut off right down to their base and brought in to Taverham Vets in Norwich

One case involved a man seen putting a cat in to a holdall before dropping the bag and running away when challenged by a member of the public on Tuesday in the city’s Berner’s Street.

And the next day a woman called police to report seeing a man swinging a cat by its tail against a garage in the Philadelphia Lane area, before running away with the animal towards Pengrove Road.

Norfolk Police said there have been five incidents of cats being attacked by humans over the last two weeks

A cat’s body parts were found on allotments in the Woodcock Road area on two occasions in the last five weeks, police added. 

Ms Sparkes said the team at the Norwich vets named the stray after the Sunflowers artist who famously mutilated his own ear.

She said: ‘Both cats were brought in for mutilation of their ears. Their ears had been chopped right down to the base of the head, and the first cat had a really nasty laceration across its back, which was obviously quite a really big open wound.

‘But that was luckily able to be stitched back together. The second cat that we had on Wednesday had just had his ears lacerated, but they were actually a lot closer to the head and on to his face, but he didn’t have any other injuries.

Lottie Sparkes, head nurse at Taverham Vets in Norwich, said: ‘He’s doing really well. He’s been stitched up. He’s really bright and happy. He’s a really, really friendly cat. He’s lovely’ 

‘It’s horrific enough, but he just had that one. He didn’t have the slash or anything on him.

‘He’s doing really well. He’s been stitched up. He’s really bright and happy. He’s a really, really friendly cat. He’s lovely.’ 

Vet Jordan Smith, who dealt with Vincent at the surgery, said the team have been ‘deeply saddened and mortified by these attacks’, and said they are thankful that Vincent still trusts humans. 

Ms Sparkes said she had never seen such injuries in her ten years in the job.

She said: ‘We often see quite bad injuries and wounds from various dogs impaling themselves, cats impaling themselves on fences and things, but nothing like this with human mutilation to animals.’

Before and after: Bubba also had his ears cut off but is recovering well. His owner, Georgina Barnes, said: ‘I can’t understand why or how someone could possibly do this to any animal’

Bubba, the other cat treated at the practice, is doing ‘amazing’ in his recovery, owner Georgina Barnes said.

‘Since Bubba came home and we found him in the state he was it’s been an emotional rollercoaster, mixed emotions – worry, anger, terrified, completely heartbroken,’ she said.

‘I’ve had a few sleepless nights and constantly have this running through my mind.’

She said she ‘can’t understand why or how someone could possibly do this to any animal’.

She added: ‘It’s been overwhelming all of the support from complete strangers and the donations to help him get through this and the amazing work the vets have done.’

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