Someone put a hair elastic band around the neck of a pregnant cat, which would have strangled her had it not been for the intervention of a volunteer.

A video of the cruel prank was put on video, prompting a former member of the Animal Welfare Council to highlight the plight of stray cats whose food is poisoned on a regular basis.

Rita Buhagiar, who owns five cats but confesses to helping some 30 a week, is furious that the authorities do not take the attacks more seriously, listing the ones she has heard of from her extensive network of cat-lovers in just the past few days: Żejtun, Birkirkara and Sta Venera. 

"Wherever volunteers leave food for stray cats, there seem to be attacks, even when food is left by people on their own doorstep," she told the Times of Malta.

"When we come across it, we take it to the police and we notify the animal welfare authorities, but it never seems to have any effect."

She is well aware that part of the problem is that sheer amount of stray cats - and after 15 years of helping to save as many as she can, she is a firm believer that neutering them is the solution.

However, a government scheme which provided vouchers for the neutering of 800 cats is running out. She said that she used 580 of those herself last year, which shows just how many more vouchers are needed to make a difference.

"I wish I could save them all and take them home but that is clearly not practical. And there are many other people who, like me, love cats. The problem is that there are obviously so many others who do not. If the numbers were controlled, it could make all the difference," she pleaded.