RSPCA chiefs say they will take action against people caught deliberately targeting animals with airguns after a male cat was left with appalling injuries in Crewe.
A concerned homeowner took the cat to a vet after he was found in a collapsed state, gasping for breath and unable to walk, in her garden in Fanshawe Walk.
It was first thought he may have been poisoned, but an X-ray confirmed the cat had been shot with an airgun, with a pellet lodged in one of his lungs.
His injuries were so serious the vet put him to sleep to prevent further suffering.
Nearly 150 reports of domestic and wild animals being targeted with air weapons were reported to the RSPCA last year, with cats and wild birds being the most common victims.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Fay Bowers, who made door-to-door enquiries in the Crewe area and put up posters, said: “We’d like to thank the very kind lady who took this poor cat to the vet as he was clearly in a very distressed state and needed urgent veterinary treatment following this cruel and callous attack.
“I’ve made enquiries in the local area and put up posters, but because he wasn’t microchipped or wearing a collar, it makes it more difficult to track down who he might have belonged to.
“We’d urge people in the local area to come forward with any first-hand information and to report suspicious activity to us.”
The RSPCA promotes microchipping as the most reliable way of ensuring that cat owners are reunited with their pets should they become lost, injured or stolen.
The animal welfare charity also believes it could help to tackle welfare issues for cats, including abandonments.
Compulsory microchipping of cats in England is being proposed in the government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, a proposal which the RSPCA supports.
Anyone with information about the airgun shooting should contact the RSPCA’s inspectorate appeal line, in confidence, on 0300 123 8018.
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