Who turned this kitten into the Pink Panther?: Yobs leave animal so bright it glows in the dark

Perhaps she's blushing at her new appearance. It's difficult to tell right now.

For some prankster has dyed this white cat a rather fetching shade of pink.

But if she's embarrassed at her shade, she'd better get over it. 

Vet Penny Gillespie, who is looking after the cat - nicknamed Pink - after she was thrown over a garden fence in Swindon and handed to the RSPCA, tried washing it off, without success.

'Further washing would stress Pink and probably would not help, so it will be case of waiting for it to grow out,' she said. 

'The person responsible has covered her all over but avoided putting any round her eyes and nose.' 

The cat, thought to have been a stray or deserted pet, was earlier unharmed by the guerilla grooming session.

The resident who found the brightly coloured feline contacted the RSPCA who then placed her in the care of vets.

However, the dye is permanent and Pink will have to wait 12 to 18 months until she is snowy again.

Animal welfare officer Carl Hone said when he received a report there was a pink cat in Swindon, he did not expect to find a fully-dyed feline. 

'I thought perhaps it would be a cat with something natural on their coat or which had rubbed against wet paint,' he said.

And Ms Gillespie, who is caring for Pink at the Cheldene Veterinary Centre and Boarding Cattery, said she has not seen such a brightly coloured creature in her nine years working at refuge.

'Pink is so bright she almost glows in the dark,' she said.

'When I first saw it my jaw dropped and I thought, "Oh my God!". 

'I couldn't believe what I was seeing and had to do a double take. It is so bizarre.'

She added: 'Surprisingly other cats do not seem to have noticed her unusual hairdo.'

Although Ms Gillespie has labelled the act 'cruel' and highlighted it could have been fatal for the cat if the dye was toxic, she noted her full-body colour change had been executed in a conscientious manner.

'Pink has been dyed very evenly and the person has taken care to ensure it did not get in her eyes or mouth so I think it may have been done professionally,' she said.