The cat, which had a smashed skull, missing skin and was found with a boulder on its chest was discovered by a little girl and her father in a field next to popular family visitor attraction Cusworth Hall.

The man then contacted the cat's owner, Christina Halbeisen, who confirmed that Tootsie had been missing from his home in Cusworth for four days.

Mrs Halbeisen, 52, who had looked after Tootsie since she found the stray over a year ago, said she was devastated about the brutal way he had died.

"I feel very upset that somebody can have such a nasty mind to do this. I appreciate that for anybody else it's just a cat but it was really cared for," Mrs Halbeisen said.

"I hope that whoever was responsible for this will read this and will think again before doing something similar. I aim to stop this."

Mrs Halbeisen said that her son Marc, 23, first found the frightened silver coloured cat in the garden of her home and the animal-loving family had taken him in and nursed him to health.

Tootsie was cremated on Monday.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "The RSPCA is shocked and appalled to hear of this. If anyone has any information regarding this we would urge them to contact the police immediately, or telephone the RSPCA."

Doncaster Police have also launched an investigation into the incident.

Pc Carl Saxton said:"This appears to be an isolated incident in
Cusworth, however we will be working with our partners to patrol this area and to investigate this incident. Anyone with information is urged to leave a message for me on 01302 385178 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

The incident echoes a similar attack in June in which a white tom cat was beaten with planks of wood by hooded youths and then savaged by a dog in Westminster Crescent, Intake.