Pet owners fume over cowardly spray paint attacks on cats

A Rural City of Wangaratta spokesman said the administration was initially loath to publicly address the problem for fear of sparking copycat acts of cruelty.

But the cat has been let out of the bag with at least two posts on social media from animal lovers who said their beloved pets had been callously spray painted.

"This morning our cat, Lucid, returned home spray painted red," said one user known as Timmy. "I have read another post about a lady's cat being spray painted green.

"Let me tell you - you're disgusting and we would all love to see you face to face. We will find out who you are."

Another poster, Miranda, said: "Looking for information in regards to my cat being spray painted directly into her face.

"Would love a face-to-face with whoever thought this was a good idea. This happened around Salisbury Street and Joyce Way."

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Wangaratta police said they had received no complaints about the issue.

The council spokesman said anyone who had a problem with cats straying on to their property could call the council for assistance and rent a cat trap for free.

"Once a nuisance animal is impounded, owners have to pay a $100 fee to have it released from custody," the spokesman said.

"A much better way to deal with this problem is to ring the council, not to resort to using a can of spray paint which is certainly illegal."

He said the RSPCA could hand the matter over to police to press animal cruelty charges.

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