Tighter air rifle controls wanted after Shropshire family cat shot and killed by thugs

Ninja, a 10-month-old kitten, died from its injuries the day after being shot in Shrewsbury last month.

It prompted Kate Taylor, of Upton Magna, to start a petition calling for the Government to regulate and license air rifles in the same way as other fire arms.

She said: "I set it up after my parents' cat Ninja was killed when an air rifle pellet got lodged in his spine, paralysing him.

"My children play in the same area and it got me thinking how someone had used an air rifle in such a built-up area anyway."

The 29-year-old said Ninja was shot in the Conway Drive area of the Telford Estate in town, between 7pm and 11pm on July 26.

West Mercia Police said at the time that the force was treating the shooting as "a criminal offence of animal cruelty".

Mrs Taylor said: "My children were devastated, and Ninja was my dad's 60th birthday present. It made me look into it and realised there isn't as much regulation as there should be and I thought it would be better to have more regulation."

In Scotland, new laws make it illegal to possess an air rifle without a licence.

In her petition, Mrs Taylor said: "Currently UK law states that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to buy, shoot or handle an air rifle and that they must be locked away in a robust cupboard and pellets ideally kept separately.

"Clearly though this does not deter improper use of rifles and irresponsible users to shoot where serious, injury, maiming or even death can occur."

So far, the petition – which can be found at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/163418 – has more than 60 signatures.

Meanwhile, anyone with information about the shooting should contact West Mercia Police on 101, and to quote incident 0034S of July 27. Alternatively people can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. The RSPCA said anyone with information about the shooting can call its appeal line on 0300 123 8018.