A dead cat has been hauled from the River Great Ouse in St Ives.

The RSPCA said that the cat found wrapped in a bin liner inside a Berghaus rucksack on Saturday, June 4.

The black rucksack was weighed down with bricks.

A member of the public made the discovery at The Broadway in St Ives, near the Floods Tavern, and the RSPCA is investigating the incident.

Naomi Sadoff, the animal rescue officer who attended, said: "This was a very distressing discovery

This poor cat was found wrapped up in a bin liner and put inside a black backpack before being weighed down with bricks and thrown in the river. Clearly, someone didn’t want us to find this cat!

"We are now appealing for anyone with information on how this cat came to be in the river, or how the cat died, to please contact us."

The cat was not microchipped, and officers said it is unclear how long the cat has been dead, or whether the cat is male or female.

Naomi added: "We can tell the cat’s fur is light in colour but the poor thing was covered in dirt and sludge from the river and was quite decomposed."

She urged anybody with information to contact the RSPCA's appeal line on 0300 123 8018.