IT is almost 10 years since it was reported that the number of animal cruelty cases in Bolton was soaring, yet, despite increased publicity of cases, the figure has not decreased.

A CHAINED puppy frozen to death, a beaten family dog beaten to death and a cat found strung up by an electrical cable. One could be forgiven for thinking that these are the twisted ideas of an author or film director. Sadly, however, they are real events that have happened in Bolton over the past six months.

In August last year, a cat was found hanging from an electricity cable just days after a gang of yobs had battered a chicken to death with a spade in Tonge Moor. Then, two months later, a family watched in horror as two youths shot a goose dead at point-blank range in a Bolton country park. Just moments earlier the same youths had maimed a swan after firing into a flock of birds using the same air rifle.

Even more shockingly, this week a pet cat was burned alive in a wheelie bin by yobs in Tottington.

Two months after that, a man in his 20s dragged his Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreed through the streets stamping on its head until it moved no more.The 12-month-old dog was believed to have been pregnant at the time.

Less than three weeks later a puppy was found chained inside a rabbit hutch, frozen to death. The terrier-type dog was six-months-old when it was left callously alone in bitterly cold weather. One RSPCA inspector said it was the worst thing he had witnessed.

One animal lucky to escape this storm of barbarity with only pellet wounds was a ginger tom cat from Astley Bridge. After being shot 20 times, the 20-month-old tom was left with serious internal injuries. Police even suggested that the cat had been tied up and used as a swing target before the culprits fired their shots.

Sadly, one animal which was eventually rescued but could no longer muster the power to go on, was a black mongrel bitch found cowering on a doorstep in Tyldesley. The dog, which was thought to have survived the most severe case of neglect seen in the this area, clawed at the front door of one home owner until she finally came to her door. Emaciated, malnourished and covered in mange and tumours, the dog was humanely destroyed.

Why, 10 years after the RSPCA talked about a rise in animal cruelty in Bolton, are incidents such as this still happening?

According to Kathy Kay, the Bolton RSPCA branch administrator who helped investigate the 900 local complaints 10 years ago - a 17 per cent increase on the previous year's figures - the figure is certainly not declining. She said: "We used to say years ago that it was ignorance, poverty and neglect. But what distresses me now is that we should have overcome that because there is so much help available from charities in Bolton - charities all offering help to solve everyone's problems. Now, the pattern has changed. It is deliberate cruelty which we can't do anything about until after the event."

If deliberate cruelty is on the rise, who, and what, is to blame? "Unfortunately a lot of the cruelty now is due to drink and drugs. People are not in control of themselves because of addictions and they are taking it out on the animal. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors until it is too late," said Kathy.

Also the financial strain of maintaining an animal is an excuse many pet owners use for neglecting their animals. Rather than reach out and grab the help available to them, some simply hurt or kill the animal instead.

Kathy insists that no pet owner needs to struggle financially. "If we hear about somebody who can't afford to feed an animal we will supply them with food until they are in better circumstances.

"We offer help with veterinary fees - no animal should be deprived of veterinary treatment if the owner can't afford the fees - we microchip them and we provide free identity disks so no dog or cat needs to be unidentifiable, yet we are still getting stray upon stray because people haven't bothered," she said.

Kathy also argues that no animal needs to be sick: "We can get them financial help so they can get their own vet - we can solve all those problems."

The case of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreed who was beaten to death by its owner while children looked on in despair, is a case Kathy remembers gravely. She said: "It distresses me so much I can't sleep, I can't eat, I could cry talking about it because I wasn't there for it."

As sad as it may be to animal lovers old and young, animal abuse will continue to befall our innocent furry friends. "The world is so cruel and animals, in one way or another, are big money so they're exploited for finance," she said.

l To help the fight against animal abuse visit www.rspca.org.uk or contact them on 01204 521160 for advise or to make donation. Alternatively, visit Pets In Need at > to find out about fostering an animal.