Danderhall mum Yasmin Smith discovers beloved cat Gin dead and dumped in bin

She believes her cat was hit by a car in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A Midlothian mum who discovered the body of her beloved cat in a public bin has spoken out about the ‘horrendous' moment she found him.

Yasmin Smith made the discovery on Thursday, just one day after her two-year-old moggie Gin went missing in Danderhall. She believes he died after being hit by a car, with blood having been found on the nearby road.

"On Thursday my Dad went to the doctors’ surgery just behind my house,” she said. “He saw blood on the pavement so we went out to check. There were blood spots on the road. I think Gin was hit and then dragged across the road. We saw blood on the bin and I said to Dad, please tell me he’s not in that bin."Dad found him there with his paws sticking up. He was in a state. I stood there with my one-year-old in the buggy. I burst into tears in the street. It’s just horrendous. Finding him like that has made it even worse. I don’t understand why someone would do that. And if we hadn’t found him then he could have been just chucked away with the other rubbish.”

Two-year-old Gin was found dumped in a bin in Danderhall

The mum-of-one had spent the previous day scouring the neighbourhood for her beloved pet and shouting his name in the hopes he’d come running. And, after posting in a local Facebook group, she was worried sick when she found out a cat had been hit by a vehicle near her home.

After going to the spot and finding Gin’s body, Yasmin pieced together her cat’s final moments. She said: “I’m sure that a car has hit him because of the state he was in at the front and around his wee face. A dog walker told me that they spotted him at the side of the road looking distressed but didn't approach because they thought the dog would frighten Gin.

"They said a Jeep driver stopped and said it looked like the cat had been hit. After the dog walker came out of the shop, Gin was gone and they driver had left. It might be just coincidence but it would be good to find out if they do know something.”

Yasmin is hoping to get in touch with the Jeep driver who stopped to check on Gin, who is now buried in Yasmin’s back garden.

Gin and Tonic at home

"I’m so glad I got Gin and his brother Tonic,” said Yasmin. “I only wanted one cat at the time but couldn’t bring myself to separate the pair of them. Now Tonic is crying for his brother, it’s such a shame. We’ve laid him in the garden now so I hope wee Gin can find some peace.”

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