A MUM of two has told of the horrifying moment she saw footage of her cat being tossed into the air like a rugby ball. 

Vicki Gore-Harris, of Rhyl, saw the shocking film online. It appeared on the Journal website as part of a court report.

One man had thrown the cat, Rick, into the air while a friend filmed it.

Vicki said until then she had “no idea” that her beloved two-year-old white and ginger cat had been through such a distressing ordeal.

Whilst watching the footage, she immediately recognised Rick, being tossed at a 45-degree angle.

She said: “He is very distinctive as he has orange eyes. 

“I’ve had him for about a year. He was rescued from a home that treated him very badly. 

“When he came to me he was very thin and had cat flu. Him and his sister both came to live with me so I could make them better. 

“When seeing the video, it may me feel sick. How could someone do something so horrible to my little ‘furbaby'?"

Since his traumatic ordeal, Vicki said all her cat does is hide

The video had been played at Llandudno Court where Lewis David Brereton, 26, of Bryntirion Avenue, Rhyl, and Joshua Harvey Weir, also 26, of Linden Drive, Prestatyn, could be heard joking and laughing loudly during the incident in Wellington Road, Rhyl, in July. 

They both pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary cruelty. The men were given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for six months, banned from keeping animals for three years and ordered to pay £490 costs.

Vicki, 31, said: “I was crying and still now. I can’t believe something this would happen.  “What was going through the lads’ head while they hurt my defenceless baby?”

Vicki claims that on the day after the attack, the RSPCA carried out inquiries to see if they could find the cat in the video.

“They looked at Rick and took pictures,” Vicki said.  “They told me that ‘thank you, but it wasn’t this cat’ and then took my details and went on their way.

"I only found out about the attack over Facebook. Seeing it happen was a nightmare.” 

Devastated Vicki, who has two other cats called Jess and George, said Rick has not been himself since the incident. 

“He used to be so nice and go to anyone and everyone. Now he won’t go to anyone,” she said. 

“If anyone goes near him, he cowers away. My family and I have been trying for months to get him in the house with no luck. We finally go him in the other day and he was sick all over the house. All he does is hide. It is heartbreaking.

“I hope those involved never ever have animals. To think they could do this to a cat is beyond me and I don’t think justice has been served.  “I feel ever so lucky to have my cat back. My children love all my cats and they would have been devastated if he Rick hadn’t come home.

“This has been hard on my family. We lost a cat two years ago to a dog attack. We then lost a second cat, who never came home.”

"My cats are like my babies and I love them like they are my children."

The Journal approached the RSPCA for comment. 

The animal welfare charity urged Vicki to telephone them.