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Poor Smudge is latest victim of air rifle thugs

22/12/2004

AN animal lover fears thugs are targeting cats in the Smallbridge and Hurstead area after another of his pets was shot in the eye

John Lancaster was horrified to find two-year-old Smudge in agony after letting her out for a walk on Tuesday evening.

She had been blasted in the left eye, just 12 months after her brother was injured in the same eye in an airgun attack.

Smudge had to have the eye removed, but the pellet is now permanently lodged in her jawbone.

And Mr Lancaster, of Holland Street, Hurstead, was also shocked to find that she had been shot in a separate incident 12 months ago. X-rays revealed that what he had thought was a lump on her back was, in fact, an airgun pellet.

Mr Lancaster, who also has two older cats and Smudge's kitten Socks, fears that other cats could be in danger and has reported the incident to police.

He said: "I found her curled up on the chair in our lounge. She was gone about half an hour and my wife and I had been looking for her.

"But she must have come back in straight away after being shot and lay down in agony. We took her to an emergency vet in Bury who operated immediately.

"She is usually a friendly cat but now she is very wary and quiet and that's not like her. She keeps herself to herself and is even wary of her own kitten. It is very sad."

The attack on Smudge follows the shooting of another cat near Buckley View last month. Six-month-old tabby Jess lost her right eye after being hit with a pellet.

Mr Lancaster added: "I am very worried about the cats in the area. They are either being shot or go missing.

"A neighbour lost her cat 12 months ago and a friend, who lives on the other side of Halifax Road to us, has had two cats that have gone missing.

"There is obviously something going on in the area."