A west Fife woman has hit out at the “sick delinquent” who shot her pet cat in the face at point-blank range.
When Penny Telford first saw her much-loved pet she assumed her terrible injuries had been caused by a road accident. However, the truth was much worse and it is a miracle that the friendly two-year-old moggy has survived her horrendous ordeal.
Penny, of Crossford, had assumed when Itchy came home with her face “in a real mess” that she had been run over. She said she was “devastated” when the tabby turned up, having clearly suffered serious trauma.
With her face badly swollen, blood coming from her nose and one of her teeth loose and in the wrong position, Itchy was swiftly taken to the 24-hour Inglis Veterinary Hospital on Halbeath Road, Dunfermline.
Although a traffic accident was originally thought the most likely cause, the absence of other injuries caused doubt. Even so, vet Liz Grant was astonished when an X-ray revealed a shattered airgun pellet, split in two, lodged in the cat’s skull.
“Itchy was clearly shot at point-blank range, within a metre. It is amazing that a cat survived something like that but thankfully, and against all the odds, Itchy is now on the mend,” Liz said.
The vet had to perform delicate cranial surgery to remove the broken lead pellet and repair the fractured skull. “Poor Itchy had to then have an oesophageal tube implanted to feed her and allow the fractured jaw to heal. She was incredibly brave.”
“I can’t begin to imagine what induced people to do a thing like that to a little cat,” Liz added. “That she was such a friendly cat would have made it easier for the culprit to have got a close-range shot.”
Penny is equally disgusted and said, “I’m appalled that anyone should do this to her. I can only imagine some sick delinquent was responsible. She’s a lovely wee cat all she wants is to be petted and loved.”
The grateful owner said everyone at the veterinary hospital had been amazing and staff had looked after Itchy like one of their own.
“I’m really grateful for all they’ve done and so pleased Itchy is getting better,” said Penny, adding that Cats Protection in Dunfermline is very generously helping with the treatment costs.
It’s not the first time the little cat has given Penny a scare, as only a few months ago she was taken to Inglis after having what appeared to be convulsions. Vets found she had eaten something she shouldn’t have and were able to treat her.
The shooting has been reported to the police and the Scottish SPCA. The incident happened only a few days before the SSPCA disclosed that its animal cruelty helpline was taking 500 calls a day. Last year the charity fielded more than 184,000 calls to its helpline 74% more than three years ago.