IT'S not the Berlin Wall - it's a Hampshire garden boundary.

A householder erected the barbed wire, sharp studs and three-inch long anti-pigeon spikes to stop a 14-year-old cat using the wall to get to the ground.

Hampshire Chronicle:

For years Tiggly would come out of an upstairs window then drop down on to a tiled roof and then again onto the wall before gently jumping down to the ground at the house two doors down in Pantheon Road, Chandler's Ford.

But Valerie Pollard has put up the wire to stop Tiggly.

Tiggly's owner Bea Upton, 46 (above), said: "It's awful. Tiggly got stuck in it and neighbours had to rescue her.

"The neighbour has put all the barbed wire just to stop Tiggly, out of spite. It prevents her living a normal, happy free life.

"She says she was put it up to stop Tiggly damaging her car.

"I have complained to the RSPCA but they say they cannot get involved because people are allowed to put up pet deterrent.

"When I got back this afternoon Tiggly was stuck up there again. Such a tiny change of removing the spikes and barbed wire, which has no effect whatsoever on Valerie either way, would make a massive difference for Tiggly."

Tiggly has to use the window to get out because Bea has two dogs and she is too frightened of them to use a ground floor cat flap.

The Chronicle knocked on Valerie's door. She said: "I want to know who told you about this story." She declined to discuss it and closed the door.

Neighbours did not want to get involved publicly with the dispute but one confirmed that Tiggly had had to be rescued from the wall. "It's a bit of overkill, isn't it? It looks awful as well."

There had been even more anti-Tiggly measures but they were removed because they were within reach of the children who live in the house between Bea and Valerie.

It was unclear the exact legal situation should Tiggly be injured in the wire and need to have veterinary treatment.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: “We do not condone the use of barbed wire fences to deter cats from gardens. They can cause nasty injuries, pain and suffering to not just cats but to other animals that may just happen to land there.

“Although the law does not state that adding barbed wire to a fence is illegal, it may become so depending on the case and what happens to an animal as a result. Deliberately injuring an animal and causing unnecessary suffering is a criminal offence and we take that very seriously.

“There are more humane methods of deterring cats and other animals from your garden such as automatic water sprays or introducing natural, prickly shrubs to cover surfaces.

“We would always encourage people to consider these options or visit the RSPCA website for more advice and never to use methods with may cause harm and potentially unknowingly commit an animal welfare offence.”

Hampshire Chronicle: