Owner's tears as cat dies after being shot

A WOMAN was left in tears after her cat was shot with a firearm.

Karen Jones was "incensed" after someone shot the pet she had cherished for 11 years.

Her black and white cat, Skinny, had been missing for a few days and returned limping and weak.

When Miss Jones took him to Kingston Veterinary Group that she was told he had been shot in the leg and would not recover.

Miss Jones, of Brough, had to make the difficult decision of having him put down and said it was not easy to let him go.

She said: "I just can't understand what kind of person would do this – it's just cruel.

"He was a only a small, white cat. I don't think it could have been an accident.

"It's not that he could be mistaken for another animal.

"What also concerns me is that this person was probably in a residential area using a firearm."

Miss Jones, 47, first welcomed Skinny and his brother, Fatty, into her home after a visit to the Hull Animal Welfare Trust.

The centre is celebrating 30 years of taking in abandoned animals and finding them loving homes in East Yorkshire.

Miss Jones said: "Fatty isn't the same now Skinny has gone and they were great together.

"Skinny was a lovely cat with black spots on his head and back, he was a brilliant pet.

"When he was missing, I was really worried and you always imagine seeing your cat at the side of the road or something horrible when you leave your house.

"But when he came back, I knew something wasn't right.

"He was clearly in shock and slept all day so I took him to the vets as soon as I could."

Miss Jones said although she realises it will be a struggle to find out who shot her beloved cat, she is thankful police have recorded what has happened and have helped to raise awareness.

The supermarket worker said: "It takes somebody very heartless and cruel to do this and I know it will be a hard to find out who it was.

"I just want people to have more respect for animals and understand how much upset this has caused.

"I hope the person who did it cannot sleep at night because I haven't slept a wink."

Miss Jones has looked back through her favourite pictures of Skinny, who she called her "little man", and says he will could never be replaced in her family home.

Paul Atkinson, director at Kingston Veterinary Group, said it was not the first time the group had treated a cat with shot wounds.

He said: "I had a quick look at the X-rays and the cat was full of pellets and I believe had fractured his leg.

"We go through phases where we see a few cats who have been shot but we haven't had any for a while.

"It is very worrying and it's an awful thing to happen to any animal – we don't want to see it happen again.

"It is also well known that violence towards animals can transfer into violence towards people later on in life."

In response to Miss Smith's concerns, police are appealing for anyone who may know anything in relation to the cat's injuries to call them on 101, quoting log number 498 of September 11. Alternatively, incidents of animal cruelty can be reported to the RSPCA.