Horrific Attacks on Cats across the UK
Looking through the papers this Bank Holiday weekend I couldn’t help but shudder at the amount of attacks on cats that had been reported. Following on from the recent RSPCA report questioning whether we really are a nation of animal lovers, these stories will make you want to put your moggie under house arrest and fuss them until they give you a frustrated swipe at all the unwanted attention!
Airgun Attack on Cat in Tyneside
Lulu, a four year old cat, was attacked with an airgun in South Tyneside last week, resulting in loss of sight in one eye. After treatment and surgery at the Sunderlund Animal Rescue the brave cat is doing well.
.22 Pellet Lodged in Teddy’s Skull
Another horrific airgun attack left poor Teddy the cat shot in the head. The .22 pellet entered his nose, passed into his mouth and then jammed in the base of his tongue costing Teddy’s owner a hefty £2,500 vet bill.
Keith Merchant, Teddy’s owner, agreed to have specialist surgery carried out on the injured cat. Teddy was sent to a specialist in Newmarket on Monday where the operation was successfully carried out:
“They did an incision in his throat, pulled the tongue through and removed the pellet, then repaired the damage to his tongue,” he said. “It was a .22 pellet, probably from a high-velocity rifle to have gone that far into him. I contacted the police after I found he had been shot and they made inquiries in the neighbourhood at the back of my garden but, so far, it’s been negative. I’m concerned that if someone is taking potshots with an air rifle a child or somebody might get shot and if it goes into an eye or skull they could be badly injured.”
A spokeperson from the RSPCA confirmed that airgun attacks on cats are on the increase and the amount had risen from 30 in 2006 to 50 in 2007 in East Anglia alone:
“They are only the ones reported and we estimate there are a lot more than that. It’s very concerning and people often don’t realise it’s illegal and they can get a maximum of six months in prison. We think one of the main causes is kids getting bored with shooting at stationary targets, and people sometimes use airguns to scare cats away from gardens – that is equally unacceptable. They cause a huge amount of pain and distress for the animal and quite often we see pets that have died.”