Cat's leg shattered by airgun in Telford shooting
A cat that went missing for three weeks has returned home – but with one of its legs shattered by an airgun pellet.
His owners quickly noticed nine-year-old tomcat Shrek was limping and not putting any weight on his left hind leg – and a vets's X-ray revealed that an airgun pellet was lodged in the unfortunate cat's leg.
His leg bone, which had been shattered into about 20 pieces, has now mostly healed but is shorter following surgery.
Shrek's owner Rachel Currier, from Ketley Bank, in Telford, said: "We were thrilled when he came back as we thought we had lost him, but we knew something was wrong. We were appalled when we found out he had been shot with an airgun."
Rachel, 45, who lives with husband Pete and son Marcus, told the Star: "We are all very upset by what has happened and also worried about letting our cats outside again."
Tom Bingham, the veterinary surgeon who examined Shrek, said: "The most shocking thing about this attack is that the leg damage indicates Shrek was shot at short range – this was something done quite deliberately."
Anyone with information about the attack, which happened sometime between May 25 and June 17, should contact West Mercia Police on 101 quoting reference 554S of June 17.
