A PENSIONER from Basingstoke has been left frustrated after her cat's fur was covered in tar when he walked on a re-surfaced pathway. 

She is upset as she says that Hampshire County Council (HCC) failed to inform her when work would be carried out.

After returning home from a weekend away, Stella Breathnach,74, noticed that her nine-year-old cat Bosco was continuously biting and pulling at his paws. 

She realised that it was tar on his paws, which she said had got on his fur after he jumped off of their garden fence onto a pathway on Holbein Close.

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Stella told the Gazette she realised that the pathway must have been recently retarred. Despite receiving a letter in the post saying that HCC was going to be tarring the pathways, she said that no date was specified.

After researching the impact of tar on fur she realised that it is toxic to cats. She called the Brunswick Place Veterinary Clinic and was told to bring Bosco in.

Following the passing of one of Stella's cats earlier this year, she said she wasn't prepared to go through the pain again. But, luckily after Bosco was sedated the vets were able to remove the majority of the tar from his fur. 

Stella said she will now have to claim back the £163 from HCC that she spent on vet bills to help a situation that could have been potentially life-threatening to Bosco.

She said: "The main issue for me is that residents know exactly when work is going to take place so they can keep their animals inside. 

"I have lived in the same area for 34 years and something like this has never happened. They should have told every resident in the area the day they planned to do the tarring so I could keep him inside or take him outside on his leash."

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Bosco is now okay, but Stella is cautious of his health and is keeping a close eye on him. 

Councillor Nick Adams-King, executive member for highways operations at Hampshire County Council, said: “I am very sorry to hear of this resident’s experience and hope her cat has made a full recovery.

"Our highways teams make every effort to notify local residents in advance of work due to take place in their neighbourhoods. As there is a compensation claim in progress, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.”