A SIX-month-old kitten has been put down after being starved and beaten at a home in Haydon Wick over the course of a month.

The semi-long haired kitten, called Tilly, was ‘clearly dying’ when the RSPCA were called to a property in Speedwell Close and found her under a blanket on the sofa, weighing less than a bag of sugar.

The authorities were only alerted after 19-year-old Sarah Reeves discovered a friend had been filmed throwing the tiny cat against the walls of her home on November 21 last year.

Despite being rushed to Drove Vets, Tilly was beyond help and had to be euthanised on humane grounds.

At Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Reeves admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Tanya Jones, prosecuting, told the court: “RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson was contacted by phone by a man she knew and she was informed a cat at an address in Swindon had allegedly been beaten two days previously.

“She was told that there was video footage of the incident. She met Sarah Reeves and was informed she was the owner of a six-month-old cat, which had been beaten two days before and had now collapsed and was barely responsive.

“She could see the cat was emaciated and looked skeletal. Her ribs and hip bones were protruding, and the cat was clearly dying. The cat weighed just 0.96kg and while a heartbeat was present, circulation was poor. The surgeon would have expected a cat that age to weigh about two to three kilogrammes, and in his opinion, it is not something we would expect to happen over a few days.”

Terry McCarthy, defending Reeves, said the kitten had been her first pet, and lived with her in council accommodation.

He said. “There is probably a background of mistreatment of the cat, which was affecting it considerably at the time.

“She has been in care and has something of a chequered past, as seen by her previous convictions. When she heard what happened to the cat she was disgusted, and she tried to get help.”

After the hearing, Inspector Albinson said: “This cat suffered a great deal in its very short life.”

David Sinclair, chairman of the bench, told Reeves: “What we have heard today is shameful. This is a serious case of cruelty and animal neglect.

"This cat was emaciated and at the point of dying. It was beyond help. The only option available was to euthanise. It is our view that there should be a very lengthy ban on you keeping any type of animal.”

Reeves will be sentenced on Monday, April 13, after the probation service provide a report about her circumstances.

A 16-year-old male will be sentenced on April 14 after indicating guilty pleas to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering, including throwing the cat against a solid object.