A CAT owner in West Kilbride has branded a pet toy “a danger” after her beloved pet was seriously injured on it and had to have its eye removed.

Lynne Webster was horrified when 15-year-old Tabitha started howling in pain after rubbing her face against JML’s Purrfect Arch, a scratching toy for cats.

Lynne told the Herald: “This toy is lethal. Tabitha was a rescue cat and she was abused. She had a terrible life before I took her. She was so timid and scared. Cats never get over abuse and now she’s had to have her eye taken out.”

Lynne had the toy for less than a day when the horrifying accident happened. She said: “Tabitha was crying and when I picked her up, I saw that her eye was ruptured and it had a blue swelling in front of it. I called Mr Walker at Glengarnock Vets and he said to come over in the afternoon. I had a cup of coffee and then I looked at the eye again and it had got worse. Jelly stuff was coming out the front of her eye. I was a nurse and I’ve seen some pretty horrible things but this was horrendous. The eye was ruptured and was leaking its contents.

“I was a wreck when I was driving to the vets and Tabitha was crying. I was very worried. She needed immediate surgery. You should see this poor wee thing – you would cry if you saw her. Could you imagine being 15 – that’s 85 in cat years – and having your eye out? That’s the full horror of it.”

James Walker, the vet who treated Tabitha, told the Herald: “The cornea of her eye had been ruptured by something sharp. We couldn’t repair it so we had to remove the eye. She went home and she was eating so I think she’ll be ok in the long-term.”

Manufactured by JLM, the Purrfect Arch retails at £19.99 and is described by its makers as a “clever self-grooming and massager for cats”.

Mrs Webster was given the Purrfect Arch by a friend who was moving house and couldn’t take the toy with her. It is believed that it had been purchased from Asda before Christmas.

Mrs Webster said: “My friend bought it for her sister for her cat’s Christmas. She had noticed her cat had scratches on its forehead above its right eye. They just thought she’d been out in the bushes or something, but now we think it must have been that toy.

“This is a toy that’s marketed and yet it can take out a cat’s eye. It’s diabolical. Everybody I know with a cat has got one of these Purrfect Arches so it’s essential that people are made aware of how dangerous it is. It’s dreadful.”

A spokeswoman from the manufacturer JML said: “We were very sorry to hear about Tabitha’s experience when Mrs Webster contacted us and we wish Tabitha a speedy recovery. We have sold huge volumes of the Purrfect Arch and this is the first time we have received a complaint of this nature and we are taking it very seriously.

“The Purrfect Arch has been tested in line with the European General Product Safety Directive and European Toy Safety Standard, and was found to meet all relevant requirements. In addition to this, the product has been trialled and evaluated by a UK veterinary surgeon and deemed as safe.

“Product safety standards and customer satisfaction are extremely important to JML and if any other customer has any queries or concerns about their Purrfect Arch we would urge them to contact our customer service team on 0800 781 7831.”