A Mid Sussex man convicted of causing suffering to his pet cat is to have the animal returned to him.

Maverill Smith, 39, of West Park Crescent, Burgess Hill, tried to treat his cat's injured tail with antiseptic cream and sticking plaster, a court heard.

But the treatment was ineffective and the tail later had to be amputated.

Smith was fined £260 by Haywards Heath magistrates for causing unnecessary suffering to the cat, named Tilly.

The court made no order banning Smith from keeping animals and Tilly will be given back to him. The RSPCA had been caring for her.

The court was told that the cat had been chased by dogs and caught its tail in a fence, skinning the end and leaving the bone exposed.

Smith did not take Tilly to a vet but tried to treat the wound himself with the ointment and plaster.

The wound became infected, stopping the blood supply and eventually causing the top part of the tail to die.

An RSPCA officer spotted the cat three weeks later and immediately took it to a vet, who had to amputate.

RSPCA inspector Barbara Kvalheim told the court she found Tilly under a bush in Mr Smith's garden.

She said: "It was immediately obvious to me there was a bad injury to the cat's tail.

"The flesh only appeared to cover about half to two thirds of the tail. The end of the tail around the bone was all shrivelled."

David Buck, prosecuting, said the amputation might not have been necessary had Tilly been treated earlier.

He alleged the cat had suffered acute pain for some time before the tail died.

Rebecca Upton, defending, said it was difficult to tell whether the cat had suffered any pain.

Vet George Tribe said it was possible the cat had felt no pain after the initial impact with the fence and the damage then had been so severe amputation would have been inevitable regardless of whether she had received treatment.