A stray cat who started to get ‘wobbly’ on her back legs is being cared for by the RSCPA after vets found she had two air gun pellets lodged in her body.
The animal welfare charity were called to Coghurst Hall Holiday Park in Hastings, East Sussex on 9 April by a woman who was concerned about a stray cat she had been feeding.
Animal welfare officer, Claire Thomas who attended the call collected the cat – a black adult female nicknamed Womble – and took her into the RSPCA’s care.
ACO Thomas, said: “The lady had been feeding the cat for around four years each day. But, over the last month, she had become concerned for the cat as she’d become wobbly on her back legs and seemed to have matted and missing fur.”
Womble was taken to the vets the following day, where she had x-rays and it soon became clear of the reason for her wobbly legs – two air gun pellets lodged in her knees.
ACO Thomas added: “On average, the RSPCA receives 900 calls a year reporting incidents of animals being shot by air weapons. Poor cats, like Womble, are often targeted along with wild animals and birds.”
The RSPCA has long been calling for stricter controls over air gun as well as better education and explanation of the law for those buying one. The charity deals with hundreds of calls every year regarding air gun attacks on animals. In 2017, they received 884 calls related to air gun attacks on animals.
