The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a cat was dumped outside an Edinburgh supermarket.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted early on Friday morning (6 June) after staff at Tesco at Hermiston Gait discovered the feline inside a pet carrier.
The black cat is now in the care of the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Balerno, where she has been named Laila.
Senior Inspector Stuart Murray said, “Laila was spotted at the back gate of the supermarket at around 4am.
“Unfortunately there is no CCTV covering that area so we haven’t been able to identify anyone.
“Laila was left in a pet carrier with a jumper, pair of trousers and pillow case inside for bedding, all of which smelled strongly of cigarette smoke.
“She has a distinctive wart on her head and we are appealing to anyone who recognises her and knows who owned her to contact us.
“Laila is a friendly girl but understandably she’s quite nervous at the moment.
“We’ll look after Laila until we can find her a loving new home.”
Abandoning an animal is an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.
Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
