A pet cat has been shot at point blank range in a cruel attack with an air rifle in Wolverhampton.
Millie, an 18-month-old tortoiseshell cat, was left fighting for her life after the attack in Bilbrook, which left a metal pellet lodged just an inch away from her spine. Now her owner Annette Clews, who bought the cat for her 10-year-old autistic daughter Sophie, says she wants the culprit to apologise.
“Millie is my daughter’s pride and joy,” said Mrs Clews, 44, of Pendeford Mill Lane. “She had always wanted a cat and she chose Millie from a litter of kittens. She calls Millie her little sister. Millie sleeps in her room and eats when my daughter eats.
“She’s helped Sophie’s autism so much just by improving her self confidence and I feel so angry that someone has done this.”The cat was given an emergency operation and is now recovering at home, but the incident has cost the family £420 in vet bills and has left them worried about letting her outside again.
“I would like the person who has done this to realise the upset they have caused,” added Mrs Clews.
“Our cat nearly died as a result of someone’s boredom. I would like the person to see what they have done and to know if they would like to make a contribution to the £420 vets bill for Millie’s treatment.”
Millie was shot last Wednesday, March 5, and another cat is also believed to have been hit the day after.
RSPCA inspector Jackie Hickman said: “Anyone who does this is committing a criminal offence.
“I urge anyone who has information about this attack to please contact me in order to prevent further animal suffering.”
By Lucy Townsend
2 Comments
I have seen a hundred stories like this, all of them seem to put it down to bored people with air guns… People seem to be completely ignoring any other side of the story.
We have bird feeders in our garden, we get squirrels and all kind of birds, including woodpeckers, wild parakeets and even a hawk once feeding on bacon scraps thrown out. We enjoy watching these animals and I like to photograph them…. Then I look out and see a cat sitting in the garden trying to kill the squirrel that basically lives in our garden, the poor little creature is sat on the fence terrified of moving. I have seen cats come very close to killing it.
So now to my point… why should cats be allowed to roam free killing all these wild creatures at will, and yet the minute someone does something about it people are up in arms. If its ‘your’ cat then it should be in YOUR garden, not preying on the wildlife that gathers in mind. If it is posing a threat to the animals I enjoy to watch and feed then I feel I am entirely within my right to shoot it.
My God Fred, what an idiot you are! You are NOT entitled to shoot it, its a criminal offence. I can understand if you don’t like cats, especially if you are a bird lover, but you cannot simply shoot them. People cannot control where their cats roam.
Cats hunting birds or squirrels is all part of natures cycle. People dont go around shooting the birds you so enjoy feeding, when they eat worms or insects (or if they do then the shouldnt). And there are humane ways of keeping cats out of your garden.