Air gun shootings: Two cats die in Pembrokeshire

Two-year-old tabby cat Jemima might never walk correctly again after being shot by an air gun

The RSPCA is appealing for information following the deaths of two cats shot by air guns within days of each other.

In total three cats were shot in Pembrokeshire at the beginning of May, and only one survived.

One, from Fishguard, suffered a broken leg after being shot on 5 May, which had to be amputated, and she was later put down.

The RSPCA said it received 454 calls last year about animals being shot, injured or killed with air guns.

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Jemima, a two-year-old tabby, may never fully regain her mobility after she was targeted near her home in the Plas Y Fron area of Fishguard on 6 May.

The pellet, which entered just below her neck, came to rest between her shoulder blades, millimetres from her spine, and has been deemed too risky to remove.

"We're shocked and horrified that somebody living near our house has wilfully inflicted this cruelty on our family pet," said Jemima's owners.

"When we found Jemima, she was unable to walk, and had no use in her hind legs."

The pellet lodged between Jemima's shoulder blades has been deemed too risky to remove

"She has always been a very active cat... but her life has now changed completely. She can't go out and doesn't understand why she can no longer jump up or run around like she used to," they added.

"People aren't aware of the damage air guns can do to animals and perhaps if they did, they would think twice."

RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben urged people to come forward with information about the attacks and to report suspicious behaviour.

He said: "Jemima was extremely lucky to survive this callous shooting and I sincerely hope she continues to make positive progress in the weeks and months ahead."

"Sadly we tend to see a rise in these mindless attacks when the weather warms up and people are spending more time outside. We also saw a significant number of cases during the national lockdown months."