A cat-owner has told of her shock after her pet returned home with what appeared to be home-made blow darts stuck in him.
The owner was shocked as the incident comes five years after a similar bizarre incident happened to her other cat.
The mother-of-two, of Stanley Drive, Bramcote, Nottingham, let her two-year old cat called PJ out in the garden in the morning as usual and an hour later he returned with three small wooden stakes stuck in him.
She managed to pull them out of him but is particularly concerned because five years ago a similar incident happened to her female cat called Fudge.
On that occasion the darts – which look like cocktail sticks but sharper – were deeply embedded in the cat’s body and face and she was in pain and panicking. Fudge would not let anyone near her and she managed to remove the stakes herself.
The cat-owner, who doesn’t want to be named, said after carrying out some research on the internet she believes the small weapons are home-made blow darts.
They are shaped pieces of wood with fluff on the end, which would be blown through a tube with a deep breath.
She said: “The first time this happened I reported the matter to the police because I was concerned someone was targeting animals in the area. To be honest I thought it might be a child – but for this to happen five years later makes me think it is not a child because you would have thought they would have grown up in that time.
“It just seems like it is a calculated attack and why anyone would want to do anything like this baffled me. But they have caused pain to both my cats and I just don’t want it happening to any other animals, so want to warn others living nearby.”
RSPCA Inspector Sarah Gardener, who is instigating the incident, which happened on Saturday September 8, said she has never come across anything like this before. It is frightening to think that someone would have gone to this effort to make these blow-darts and then to actually use them on defenceless animals is appalling.
“It concerns me that other animals such as wildlife may have been attacked in this way too. I am keen to find out if anyone has any information about this and if so to contact the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.”
