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Airgun thugs leave cats suffering

Miles Skinner
20/12/2006

TWO cats have lost several of their nine lives after four sadistic shootings.

One will have to be destroyed if he has to face further surgery and the other has a pellet embedded so deeply in her leg vets could not remove it.

Their Bramhall owner, who rescued the animals from a cat sanctuary, has had to pay £1,800 in vet bills after the mystery air gun attacks.

Louise Tanner, of Gleneagles Close, says the two-year-old cats -Toby and Sophie - and her family have been traumatised by the number and nature of the incidents.

"My sister has Down's Syndrome and has been really disturbed to see Toby and Sophie limping into the house trailing blood.

"Toby has had two general anaesthetics and would not be able to cope with another at such a young age - he'd have to be put down. Sophie is far frailer and the vet couldn't remove the pellet from her leg. She said it would do more harm than good."

Toby was shot in the leg in February and, during surgery, vets pulled another pellet out which had lain undetected for a couple of months.

When Louise eventually began to let him out after recovery in August, he was shot in the spine.

Once again Louise made efforts to keep the animals indoors but relented, feeling it was worse for them to be shut in.

The two were let outside on Monday morning only for Sophie to return shaken and bleeding after being shot in the leg, which necessitated two days at the surgery.

Louise, a 25-year-old human resources graduate, added: "I just don't know who is doing it or why anyone would.

"But it's far from funny and I appeal to them to stop.

"These are young cats rescued from a sanctuary and they don't deserve this."

A spokesman for the RSPCA said the charity had been 'appalled' when the attacks were reported to them, and warned of serious consequences for the perpetrators.

"The penalty for causing an animal unnecessary suffering can be a fine of £5,000 and a six-month prison sentence," he said.

"We would implore anyone with information on who may have carried out these acts to ring us on 0870 5555 999."

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