PICTURED: Cat left fighting for life after cruel arrow attack

The arrow missed the two-and-a-half year old kitty's skull by a millimetre.

Lionel had been wandering around the neighbourhood near his home in Great Barr when he was brutally attacked with the bright pink 19-inch arrow.

Owner Sharon O'Mahoney was shocked when a neighbour came to tell her about the attack, and she rushed Lionel straight to Lydon Veterinary Centre in Kingstanding.

Mother-of-two Sharon, aged 47, who has three other cats, said: "I don't know who would've done this or why.

"Our neighbours came round to tell us they'd seen Lionel with an arrow through his head – when I went out to find him I was in shock when I saw it.

"I felt physically sick, I've never been so angry.

"We bundled him up and rushed him straight to the vets.

"They were very shocked when they saw him – they said they've never seen anything like it.

"Due to the nature of the injury they think it must've been done at a very close range – it's possible he was being held down as it was jammed through his head.

"It was quite a thick arrow, it looks like it's from a crossbow – it's certainly not a kid's thing, it must be a hobby of someone's so there must be someone out there who knows what happened.

"The vets said it's the worst case of animal cruelty they've ever seen."

Lionel was rushed into surgery for an hour-long procedure as vets operated on the poorly moggy to remove the arrow, costing Sharon £350, and he is now on the mend.

Sharon, who works as an adult tutor, added: "I called the police, but without evidence there's not a lot they can do as Lionel's a cat and they do wander around.

"I want the person who did this to be caught – it might not be an animal next time, it could be somebody's child and it could be fatal."

Any witnesses are being asked to contact Birmingham Police via 101.