A Scots cat narrowly avoided death after getting stuck in an illegal hunting trap.
The pet became stuck in the inhumane trap in Selkirk last week with the snare tightly wrapped round its stomach.
But the 'lucky' animal managed to break free avoiding severe injuries as it could 'easily have lost its life'.
Now police are warning hunters to ditch the cruel devices as they launch an investigation into the incident.
Officers are appealing for witnesses to stop the traps being set up.
Wildlife Officer PC Steven Irvine said “The snare in the photograph is the actual snare that the cat was caught in.
"A number of years ago, people would have used these to catch rabbits, however, these types of snares have been illegal for a number of years”.
“Thankfully for the owners, the cat was lucky enough to break free, allowing it to return home.
"However, this could easily have resulted in the cat sustaining severe injury or even losing its life”.
"If anyone has information on illegal snaring I would encourage them to report the matter to police.
"If members of the public would like to pass confidential information to police regarding a wildlife crime, please contact police on 101 or alternatively, contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555111."
