A CAT belonging to a Wirral family suffered horrific internal injuries after apparently being swung around by its tail.

Oscar went out after for a walk on Monday, April 27, and returned later that evening dragging his tail and hind legs.

Initial checks by a vet showed the 18-month-old may have been run over.

But X-rays later revealed he had been picked up by his tail and either swung around or kicked. His tail had come away from the spine.

Although nothing had been broken or severed, his spinal cord had been stretched and he faces the likelihood of losing his tail.

He is recovering at Littlecroft vets surgery in Little Sutton.

His owner Steve Warburton made the sickening discovery hours after picking his partner Susie up from her job as a school cleaner and returned to their home in Cedar Avenue, Bebington.

But the couple have not yet told their two children how Oscar got the injuries.

Steve, 36, a student nurse, told the Globe: "I just want to warn pet owners about looking out for their pets if they go out and are gone for long periods of time, because we are distressed by the thought that someone could do this.

"He’s a really friendly cat and if the kids are playing outside he’ll go out and see them and play football.

"He's a real character. So it's possible that he walked up to whoever did this for a stroke. His friendliness was probably his downfall, really.

"When he didn’t come back, we weren’t really worried at first because sometimes he’ll stay out all night.

"At around 10pm he came to the patio door and was in a terrible state, but had somehow managed to climb over the fence to get here.

"We let him in and could tell straight away that something was wrong, because he was dragging his tail and his hind legs were low on the floor, similar to a cowering dog that’s been shouted at.

"I would like the person responsible for this to know they have not only left us devastated, but also facing a huge vet’s bill."

The police have been informed and are investigating the incident.