Pet owner from Hampshire warns people to be vigilant after cat loses eye from being shot by catapult

• ITV News Meridian's Mel Bloor spoke to cat owner Laura Patterson after her cat was shot in the eye by a catapult

A cat owner from Yateley in Hampshire is warning people to be vigilant after her cat lost an eye from being shot by a catapult.

Laura Patterson's cat, Patty, returned home one evening with an eye injury, believed to have been caused by a ball bearing.

Patty was taken to the vet who discovered a pellet behind her eye.

Her owner believes the 18-month-old tabby was deliberately shot in the face with a catapult.

When recalling what happened, she said: "On Tuesday (8 October) last week, she came running through the back door, which is normal, it was raining, we don't have a cat flap, we just let her in when she wants to come in.

"She ran upstairs, thought nothing of it and then about ten minutes later she comes downstairs and my husband was like 'Oh my god what have you done' and we looked at her and she was covered in blood, it looked awful."

Patty was rushed to the vets and underwent emergency surgery the following day.

At first it was thought she had been run over, but Laura was horrified when told a ball bearing had been found behind her cat's eye.

She said: "I just couldn't believe it, I was so shocked. It just means someone's attacked her to cause her pain, potentially to try and kill her.

"And it's not just this local area, it's everywhere this is happening, these ball bearings with slingshots.

"I know of local business parks that have had their windows smashed with these ball bearings, I've had hundreds of messages from the community, people saying that their cars have been damaged, their houses, that they've found wildlife that have been shot with these things and it's just awful and it's clearly happening a lot."

• Laura Patterson says she can't get her head around the incident being intentional

Laura Patterson said: "To have thought we nearly lost her, it was really heartbreaking.

"When we thought it was an accident, we kind of thought things like that happen, she's a cat, she can dart across the road. We kind of accepted it as an accident.

"But then to find out it was intentional, we just can't accept and we can't get our heads around it."

While it's not illegal to buy or carry a catapult, it is an offence to cause an animal unnecessary suffering.

The incident has been reported to Hampshire Police who are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward quoting 44240442110.

Patty is at home recovering.

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