Beloved pet cat Looe shot and wounded in March, Cambridgeshire

An appeal has been launched after a beloved pet cat was shot and wounded in March.

Owner Molly had heard some shots being fired and her cat called Looe screech near her home in Gaul Road, March, on the morning of Tuesday November 14.

She ran into the garden and picked up her cat who had a pellet wound on her back left leg and there was blood around it.

Worried Molly rushed her cat Looe straight to a vet where she was x-rayed and the faint mark of a pellet (believed to be plastic) was discovered on the x-rays.

Molly said: “Looe was very lucky that the pellet had missed her vital organs and that the damage had not been more severe. We were given a course of antibiotics for her and told to keep her in.

“It is quite shocking to think that someone has done this to our poor cat and it's hard to understand how someone could do this to a defenseless animal.

“Looe has been really needy since this happened and she was always such an outdoor cat but now she doesn’t seem to want to go outside.

“We know that she is lucky that this did not cause her more serious injuries or worse as it could have been fatal - which is why we want to warn other pet owners in the area.

“We have reported the incident to the police.”

The family have had to use some of their Christmas savings to pay for Looe’s vet treatment which cost them £300.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “It is devastating to hear what happened to poor Looe and it is a relief that she was not more seriously injured. Why someone would target an innocent animal like this- it is just cruel and so unnecessary.

“The family wants to make as many people aware as possible and we are investigating this and would urge anyone with information to call the inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”

PC Ross White said: “This is a distressing incident for both Looe and her owner.

“There is never any excuse to cause unnecessary suffering to animals, and as a nation of animal lovers this is appalling. This incident will also cause worry within the local community to other pet owners.

“We are investigating this matter alongside colleagues at the RSPCA and we urge anyone with any information to contact us.”

Anyone with information can report via Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s website quoting 35/85134/23.

The RSPCA receives hundreds of calls to investigate such cases every year and sadly cats and wildlife are usually most often affected.The animal welfare charity has been campaigning to remove the loophole from firearm legislation which allows minors unsupervised possession of air weapons on private land, describing it as a ‘recipe for disaster’. The UK Government agreed with this proposal and in July 2022 undertook to amend the Firearms Rules 1998 to strengthen controls on access to airguns by minors, but this has yet to occur one year on.

Anyone caught deliberately using an air gun to injure an animal can face up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act.