Owner left upset after cat is shot in the head

Owner left upset after cat is shot in the head

21 February 2018

A DRUMANESS cat lover is heartbroken as her beloved pet struggles to recover from a cruel shooting.

The woman is devastated after her young cat Ruby was shot through the head with an air gun.

One year-old Ruby spent five days being treated in a local veterinary clinic before returning home on Monday afternoon.

X-rays have shown that Ruby was shot through the temple with the bullet exiting under her chin.

Her owner, who does not want to be named, said the cat is still reluctant to eat, is distressed by an oozing wound to her neck and has been uncharacteristically “clingy” since the attack.

The woman is shocked that somebody would deliberately shoot a cat and hopes the person responsible would realise the pain caused.

The woman, who got Ruby as a rescue cat, said she was surprised at how attached she had become since taking her home.

“I wanted a cat to make sure we did not get any mice,” she said. “I quickly got used to Ruby’s company and was 

really enjoying having her when she went missing last Tuesday.

“I knew by Wednesday morning that something must have happened and I searched the roads to see if she had been knocked down. By Thursday morning I was sure she was not coming back and I was cleaning out her dishes when she came in the back door.”

Immediately noticing blood under her chin, the woman said she took her to the vet where the shooting was confirmed.

“The thought of somebody doing that to her is so upsetting. I don’t know what I feel about the person who did it,” she said.

“I can understand that if a cat is in your garden you might get annoyed, but to shoot it I do not understand. And I have no idea why anyone would have one of those guns at all.”

Ruby was rescued last year by Andree Brown, from Cats Protection’s Downpatrick Branch, who is warning other cat owners to be alert to the potential dangers of shooting.

“These incidents are rare thankfully, but when they happen they are despicable,” she said.

“People are generally so kind to animals in this area that when you hear about an attack like this it is very shocking. It is an unnecessary and vile action.”