A THUG s being sought by Wiltshire Police after severely injuring a cat by kicking it in the stomach like a football.

Nearly 130 cat lovers have now donated to an online appeal to raise £2,000 to pay for treatment to three-year-old Baymax.

He suffered massive internal injuries, including a diaphragmatic hernia, after being left on the roadside by someone who kicked him.

The ginger and white tomcat was rushed to Harris Hill & Gibbons vets in Trowbridge by his owner Natasha Matthews after being found on Saturday, July 24.

Natasha, 44, of Stoke Hill, Hilperton, said: “Baymax went missing on Tuesday, July 19. That was the last time I saw him before we found him on Saturday lunchtime.

“I’ve got another cat, Hero, and he took me straight to Baymax, who was laying in the grass verge at the back of Green Lane and was badly hurt.

“I picked him up and he literally went limp in my arms, so I took him to Vets4Pets in Trowbridge.

“The vets initially thought he had been hit by a car. It later turned out his injuries were due to being kicked in the stomach by somebody. 

“His stomach and back legs are very bruised and he has little cuts and grazes on him but no big open wounds caused by the accident. Also, his claws are perfectly intact.”

Baymax was given painkillers and sedatives by Vets4Pets and then transferred to Harris Hill and Gibbons vets in Trowbridge for an emergency operation.

“They don't know how he survived the transfer but he did and the operation has been successful,” said Miss Matthews, who has a son Codey, 14, a third cat Poppy plus a dog called Narla.

Baymax spent three days at Harris, Hill & Gibbons recovering in its critical care unit before being allowed to go home on July 27 on antibiotics and painkillers.

He is now receiving treatment from Vets4Pets at the Pets At Home store on the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge.

Miss Matthews said: “So far so good, he is making an amazing recovery. It's an absolute miracle that he's still alive. He suffered a very bad Diaphragmatic Hernia."

Diaphragmatic hernias occur when an abdominal organ (such as the stomach, liver, intestine, etc.) moves into an abnormal opening in the cat's diaphragm, the sheet of muscle separating the abdomen from the rib cage area.

“In Baymax’s case everything moved and his lungs were badly bruised. He needed internal and external stitches and to be kept on a lot of pain relief and antibiotics.

“He was insured but we reached the limit after the first 48 hours, which is why the appeal was launched."

“He is now on two more weeks of Gabapentin and Loxicam and we have to keep an eye on his breathing and his bruising and also make sure his tummy wound continues to heal well.

“He is allowed to come out of the crate for some time each day while being supervised.

“The response to my appeal has been amazing. I don’t ask for anything in my life but this is so overwhelming. We had to give him a chance."

Miss Matthews also thanked the Cats Protection charity which contacted her vets directly with a donation towards Baymax’s treatment.

The appeal has raised £1,795 so far. To donate, click here.