The owner of a six-year-old cat she rescued from the streets years ago said she was horrified after realising her beloved pet had been shot.
Charlie Hill, of Briston, said she first noticed Tomas, one of her three cats, acting unusually on Tuesday morning (May 15).
Mrs Hill, 35, said: “He didn’t come home on Monday night, which is quite unusual for him.
“Then he did come home on Tuesday morning but didn’t seem himself, and when I came home from work at Tuesday lunchtime he was on three legs.”
Mrs Hill, of Burston Close, said she took Tomas straight to the vet to have him seen to.
She said: “They x-rayed him and that’s when they found the pellet in his leg.
“They removed it, and found he had a fracture in his right, back leg, as well. At first I thought he had been clipped by a car, but when they told me he had been shot I was shocked. I was disgusted and horrified. This is a cruel and evil thing to do.”
Tomas is now recovering at home after his treatment. Mrs Hill said: “He’s in a fair bit of discomfort but he is managing quite well.”
She said it was unclear what kind of weapon was used in the attack on the cat.
Mrs Hill said: “The vet thought it could have been spray from a shotgun, but the police officer who came over said she wasn’t sure about that.
“She took the pellet back to see if anyone else can identify it. But it doesn’t look like it was a BB gun.”
Mrs Hill said she had owned for Tomas for about three years. She said: “We took this sweet little tom stray in when he was abandoned. I spent 18 months looking for a new owner for him but no-one came forward.
“But he has become a part of our family and we are devastated someone would do this to him.”
Mrs Hill has launched a fundrasing campaign to help pay for Tomas’s treatment, which cost more than £600. North Norfolk Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident, as well as another one involving a cat that was shot in Hindringham.
Anyone with information about the shooting should report it to the police on 101.
Donations can be made to Tomas’s fundraising appeal at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tomasthecat
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