Two rival animal welfare charities have got into a war of words over a cat trap and a kitten.

The Mann Cat Sanctuary has accused the ManxSPCA of taking its property and a kitten.

The Mann Cat Sanctuary (MCS) said the charity had been contacted by the family of a man who had been taken into hospital with concerns about the animals that were in his care.

MCS said: ’Once we met the gentleman he gave us a set of keys to the property and informed that the police were aware we were trapping the cats and that we could come and go to the site as we pleased, all of the neighbours immediately next door were also aware of this.’

The charity said it caught three of the cats at the premises and then returned early the next morning to continue removing the animals.

MSC claims traps were left at the house later in the morning. When an animal rescuer went to lunch, left the traps set and went for some lunch. When she returned about one hour later, one of the traps had gone and this was then reported to the police.

The MCS said: ’After some investigating and door knocking, we discovered a few days later that a re-homing centre in the island, the MSPCA, had arrived at the property, entered the garden and indeed removed one of our traps with a kitten inside it.’

MCS claims there could have been no mistake as the charity’s baskets are distinctive and carry a tag on them.

MCS continued: ’On contacting the society they admitted they had taken the kitten and our trap but then that they didn’t know where the trap was and had no comment about the kitten.

’We then had several days of trying to make contact and retrieve our trap and the kitten back. Eventually, after much difficulty and a lot of time wasted, the trap was left over our wall at the gate.’

The MSPCA said the allegations, which it says have called the charity’s reputation into question are ’entirely false’.

General manager Juana Warbuton said: ’The society was called out to rescue a young cat, caught in a trap in Port Erin, in early February.

’The trap, a black one, and of the design often used by the Society had not been attended to for some time, according to the caller (a neighbour), and given it had no contact details on it he called the ManxSPCA.

’The society has been neutering cats living in and around the house in question for the past three years’

The MSPCA then said the cat, which it claims was feral, was taken to quarantine unit at Ard Jerkyll.

Mrs Warburton concluded: ’Several days later the Mann Cat Sanctuary contacted the ManxSPCA to say that the trap was theirs, and as a gesture of goodwill the trap was handed over to them. It was given to a male worker at the sanctuary.

’The ManxSPCA is currently considering the legal position in relation to this matter, and if the Isle of Man Constabulary contacts the society it will cooperate fully with their inquiries.’

Mrs Warburton stated the MSPCA had not been contacted by the police before or since the MCS’s comments.