Kitten survives being shot in the face twice

The nine-month old ginger tom lost his left eye following the horrific attack which happened on Tuesday night near his home in Ford, near Shrewsbury.

Today his shocked owner Fiona Pearson said it was a 'miracle' the kitten had survived what she described as a 'shoot to kill' attack.

The mother-of-four, of Leasowes, Ford said she found Jasper staggering across her front garden at around 9.15pm on Tuesday evening with his face covered in blood.

He had been shot twice in the face. One pellet had burst his left eye which later had to be removed and another had hit by his left ear, lodging a pellet in his cheek.

The kitten was rushed to Abbey Vets in Shrewsbury where he spent eight hours undergoing treatment, including a 90-minute operation.

Mrs Pearson said veterinary staff had told her it was a 'miracle' he had survived the ordeal.

"They can't believe he is still alive," she said.

Jasper, named after the comedian Jasper Carrott, is an RSPCA rescue kitten, who had only recently begun to explore outside his home when he was attacked.

"He had only been going outside for about six weeks, he was still finding his feet.

"On Tuesday evening we saw him wandering across the front garden could see there was something wrong with his face. They shot him head on, it was shoot to kill.

"If you can hurt an animal like this you could hurt a person," she added.

The brave kitten is said to be 'recovering well' on antibiotics but his owner said he has been left traumatised by the attack.

"His head has been shaved and he is very twitchy and really quite nervous now. But apart from being a bit wobbly on his feet, he is doing really quite well."

Jasper is believed to have been shot between 6pm and 9pm on Tuesday evening.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police confirmed that the incident had been reported to the police.