A cat found in a rabbit trap with an 8cm nail forced through its ear is being cared for by the RSPCA while authorities investigate. 

Residents found the cat on the grounds of a NSW Housing complex on Troman Place at Bellambi about 9am Saturday. 

Its left paw was ensnared in a heavy steel trap and there was a bloody cavity where its right eye should have been.

Resident Kevin Blair said the cat moved under a parked car and lay there until it was tranquelised and removed by the RSPCA. 

‘‘It was pretty tame,’’ Mr Blair said.

‘‘I didn’t see the nail at first ... how cruel can someone be? 

‘‘I’m not a cat lover but I was really upset.’’ 

The neighbourhood is home to many cats that often congregate at a communal dumpster after dark.

Mr Blair said he heard a ‘‘cat scream like mad’’ from the dumpster about midnight Friday. 

‘‘It was a lot deeper noise than a cat fight,’’ he said.

‘‘I reckon that was it getting caught.

‘‘It wouldn’t have got far with a rabbit trap on its leg.’’

The cat, an undesexed male aged three or four, is being cared for at a shelter in Unanderra and has since had the nail removed.

Staff have called him Lotto.

He was found wearing a blue, leather-type collar, an RSPCA spokeswoman said.

‘‘Vets [are] yet to determine whether his left leg will need to be amputated,’’ she said. 

Wollongong Detective Inspector Ben Hopper could not confirm whether a nail gun or a hammer was used to injure the animal. 

‘‘The nature of the injuries would indicate that an implement may have been used, but at this stage we have a bit of an open mind as to the exact cause and nature of how this happened,’’ he said. 

Authorities are calling for anyone with information about the cat’s circumstances to come forward.

Contact the RSPCA on 1300 CRUELTY or Police via Crimestoppers 1800 333 000.