‘Disgusted, heartbroken, and fuming’ - Cat dies after being shot more than 100 times in Totnes

A cat has died after being shot more than 100 times in Totnes.

Shadow was last seen by her owners at 9pm on Thursday 1 September.

Four hours later they received a call from an emergency vet saying the 16-month-old cat been brought in after being found injured and “covered in blood” on the roadside in Bridgetown.

The vet told the owner that she had lost count of the number of pellets in her body after X-rays showed more than 100. The animal was found in Rush Way near the Elm Way park and play area.

‘She was just covered in blood'

The pellets seriously injured Shadow’s lungs and other organs so the owner decided to put the cat to sleep.

The owner said: “The vet said ‘I’ve lost count, but there are at least 100 pellets’.

“We went down to the vets and Shadow was on a table, she was hooked up to fluids and had a mask for oxygen, but she was cold and just lifeless really.

“The vet showed us the X-rays of her body. They hadn’t done her head, but the vet said you can feel that there are more pellets.

“The vet said they could operate to try to save her, but she had pellet injuries to her lungs, bowel and liver, which meant she was in a lot of trouble. We had to make the decision to let her go.

“She had come in for her dinner around 6pm on Thursday, she had a little sleep and a cuddle, and went back out at around 9 o’clock.

“That was the last time we saw her, before the emergency vet called at around 1am. Someone came out of their house because they could hear a cat wailing.

“They thought maybe there was a cat fight going on, but they found Shadow, and she was just covered in blood. They put her in their car and took her straight to the emergency vet."

‘I am disgusted, heartbroken, and fuming'

The owner said the vet had reported the incident to Devon and Cornwall Police, which is now investigating the incident.

She added: “I am just absolutely disgusted, to be honest, heartbroken, fuming. I’m so angry that somebody could have done this to our cat, or to any cat or animal. It is frightening that someone is running around with something like that, doing this."

The family got Shadow as a kitten last summer, and she quickly settled in alongside the other pets, two cats and a dog.

The owner said: “Shadow was mischievous, she loved running up the curtains. She formed a real bond with one of our cats, they used to follow each other around. He keeps walking around miaow-ing and looking for her.

“He waits in his hiding spots waiting to jump out on her, it’s so sad."

A spokesperson for Hector's House, a Devon-based cat welfare charity, said: "We are shocked and horrified to hear about the awful injuries deliberately inflicted on this poor cat.

“We would urge anyone who knows anything about what happened to contact the police."

A spokesperson for Devon & Cornwall Police confirmed the incident was being investigated.

They are urging anyone with any information to contact them.