Hunt for gunman who shot pet cat with air rifle in Newcastle
THE owner of a cat who had a lucky escape after being shot by an air rifle is warning other pet owners to be vigilant.
Claire Spencer says her beloved black and white cat Stephan is lucky to be alive after being shot with a pellet last week.
The 23-year-old took the British short hair to see a vet on Saturday when she discovered a piece of metal embedded in the cat's shoulder.
The feline was later given stitches at Charter Vets, in Newcastle, after the pellet had been safely removed.
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Claire, of Whitehouse Road, North, Milehouse, Newcastle, said: "At first I didn't know what it was. I just felt a hard piece of metal so I took him to the vets and they told me he had been shot.
"He had to have stitches and the vet said that if the pellet had been any bigger then he would have been killed.
"I couldn't believe it. I've heard of things like this happening before, and I am worried it could happen again.
"Air guns aren't supposed to be fired in public, especially at animals.
"I've had Stephan for four years. He was a stray who kept coming to my house. I used to give him bits of food, but eventually I felt sorry for him and took him in.
"He has been in a fight before, but what chance did he have against an air gun?"
Following a trip to the vets, Claire, who works as a support officer in Biddulph, immediately checked her other cat Fernando, a Turkish Angora, but he was safe and well.
And now Claire is urging other pet owners to check their cats regularly.
She added: "I don't know how long the pellet was in there, but it is frightening to think what goes on out there.
"I don't really want to let him out any more because I am scared, but he is an outdoor cat so it would be unfair to keep him inside.
"People just need to make sure that they check their cats, and if something has happened, they should report it."
Staffordshire Police and the RSPCA are now investigating the incident.
Peter Matthews, chairman of North Staffordshire's RSPCA branch, said: "There seemed to be a spate of animals being targeted by air rifles last summer in the city.
"But fortunately, this year, we haven't had many reports of this sort of thing happening, until now. It seems it is raising its ugly head again."
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "The incident was reported to us at around 4pm on Sunday, October 21.
"The black and white cat had been shot and a piece of metal had become lodged inside the top of one of its legs. "It has now been removed by a vet."
The Sentinel reported yesterday how armed police were called to the Baddeley Green stretch of the Caldon Canal at the weekend following reports of two youths shooting at geese with air rifles.
Anyone with any information is being urged to contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 511 of October 21.
Comments
by warren-lloyd
Thursday, October 25 2012, 2:46PM
“It nice to see that no one as come on hear and done the normal, had a good rant about cat poo on there lawn. It might have sunk in, or they may have frothed at the mouth so much, they might have dropped down stone dead. Anyway, the people who do that are pretty much as low as you get.”
by andyj2010
Thursday, October 25 2012, 2:17PM
“when they find the person responsible shove the gun up thier backside and pull the trigger”
by PlayboyLeaLea
Wednesday, October 24 2012, 1:27AM
“my brother has a proper heavy metal ''gun'' which shoots metal pellets, he bought it from somewhere in leek, yes he is 21, but did he get id'd for it? did he hell. i thank god that he only shoots himself and his mates for the crack and not animals, i have threatened him before if he ever thought of shooting an animal, i'd squeal on him......”
by notlob
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 10:09PM
“You will find that genuine airgunners would call for the perpetrator of this offence to receive the highest penalty possible. Shooting someones pet is as abhorrent to us as to anyone else. Airgunners are also pet owners and such actions turn us cold. I hope the cat makes a full recovery and if caught the culprit receives the severest penalty possible.”
by sausagelord
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 1:19PM
“I hope they find the morons who did shot that lovely cat and fill them full of lead.”
by johnboy2011
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 12:46PM
“I'm not sure if you have to have license for air guns, (I know you do for real weapons) if not it ought to become law, and you would have to produce a license before buying such a weapon. That way the police would have some sort of record on who owned these guns.
This is a terrible thing to do to someones pet.”
by muzzer57
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 9:49AM
“Milehouse, it's like the wild west out there!”