A mum from Bristol has spoken out about how she wants to move house after her cat was shot with an air rifle. Police are investigating and the family has been left devastated as this now means two of their cats have been shot and a third was fatally poisoned.
Jo Hughes, 43, lives in Fieldview Drive in Downend with her 13-year-old son where she discovered her cat collapsed on Wednesday, July 20. The vets x-rayed seven-year-old Sparky and discovered the pellet lodged near his spine, which fortunately missed his vital organs.
Sparky is now recovering at home after his treatment although vets were unable to remove the pellet. His vet bills have totalled £1,700 and are expected to soar higher with other expenses. Jo predicts she has spent £4,000 on veterinary bills in recent years after her other cats Coal and Floss were attacked.
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She said the attack on Sparky "felt like deja vu". In 2018, Jo spoke to BristolLive after her cat, Coal, was shot with an air rifle while Floss was poisoned in October last year just one day before her first birthday and tragically didn't make it.
One the recent attack, Jo said: "I do feel like I've been violated at the moment and I can appreciate there's a couple of years between them but all of a sudden I feel as though my world has been shattered.
"I don't want to live here anymore I just want a fresh start so I am looking to move now, I've had enough. Every time my cats go out I'm frightened to death one of them is going to come back injured."
Jo said she had no idea who could be behind the attacks and has called for people to use more humane ways of scaring cats away if they don't like them or want them in their gardens. "Not only is this affecting the cat and injuring the cat, it's also causing a lot of emotional distress to the family as well," she added.
Jo said she hasn't heard of any other cats being attacked in her area so far. She said police have told her not to think she is being targeted personally, and suspect her cats are entering the gardens of people who are not fond of the animals.
Officers from Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are investigating the attack after Sparky was "shot at close range with an air weapon in the Downend area around Frenchay Road". In a statement to BristolLive, a spokesperson for the force said: "The neighbourhood team are not aware of any other similar incidents in recent months.
"Officers are investigating the incident and are appealing for witnesses who may have seen or heard anything to come forward. If you have any information, please call 101 and quote reference number 5222173029."
Got a story? Get in touch with Louisa Streeting by emailing louisa.streeting@reachplc.com
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