Hanging Heaton couple’s pet cat shot with air rifle

Trevor and Madeline Armitage were appalled by the attack on their rescue pet.

Mr Armitage said. “I think it’s disgusting. You don’t need an air rifle or gun round here. What are they going to use it for?”

The pair found two-year-old cat Jenny cowering in a corner, unable to move, when they returned to their Hanging Heaton home on May 29.

Mr Armitage, 57, said: “She’s usually there to see us. We were shouting her and she wasn’t coming out.

“Madeline found her curled up in the corner and she wouldn’t move. I thought she had eaten something. She wouldn’t let us near her. She was growling.”

It was only the next day that they were able to get close enough to see the hole in Jenny’s side. A visit to Calder Vets in Savile Town confirmed that she had been shot with an air rifle.

The couple, of Ennerdale Crescent, reported the attack to the RSPCA and police. Although the police do not investigate such cases, they could take action if any firearm regulations have been broken.

Insp Jenny Thompson said: “We are looking into this matter and will be speaking to the complainants in due course.”

RSPCA spokesman Andy Robbins said the charity could prosecute those who shoot cats.

“If a cat has been shot, it can be an offence of someone causing that cat unnecessary suffering,” he said.

“We’ve taken cases in the past where we’ve had cats shot, but the reality is that we really have to be confident we can get a result in court.”

Phone the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 to report animal cruelty in confidence.