A cat owner is taking her pet on day trips with her just to 'keep him safe from the monster who continues to shoot him', and claims he has PTSD from his experiences.
Samantha Mansi's cat is already on his third life after being shot three times. She was told she was very lucky that her beloved four-year-old feline was still alive as the air gun had once again just missed his vital organs.
The 37-year-old from Mumbles, Swansea, described her ginger tom cat- who she did not want named due to fears for his safety- as her "best friend". The first attack was in May, 2021, when the cat was shot in his stomach. Unable to remove the pellet inside of him, vets sent Samantha and her cat home after informing her that he had been shot and the attacker had just missed his vital organs.
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Then, in June, 2022, Samantha could not believe it when her favourite pet came home with another gunshot wound - this time it had just missed his eye and was too dangerous to remove as vets said it could disfigure him. You can read more stories about Mumbles here.
The nightmare continued when Samantha's pet was shot for the third time on Tuesday, October 11. The pellet was found in his stomach and had just missed his heart. Samantha said she had now been forced to keep the cat locked inside her home or take him out on road trips with her to try to keep him from being shot a fourth time.
Samantha also has another cat who is a tabby and said that pet had never been targeted by the shooter. The animal lover, who owns her own dog sitting business and lives in Mumbles Road, said her cats usually spent time in The Quarry car park and surrounding woods when they were not at home. While her cat used to go to the toilet when he was out of the house, she said that since the attacks he now came home to use the litter box and seemed to have "trauma" and "PTSD" from his multiple shootings.
This has led Samantha to believe the attacker has an issue with her cat going to the toilet while out. She said she also wondered if someone had a vendetta against her. "My cat is like my best friend," she added. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
The incidents have left Samantha shaken up and she is eager to move out of her current house and keep her feline companion safe. "The other day he ran outside and didn't come back. I just burst out crying. I can't bear thinking he's going to die because PDSA has said whoever does this again, the cat will end up dead. I don't want my cat to die!"
Samantha's case has previously been highlighted by the charity, Cats Protection, which is campaigning for licensing of air rifles in Wales. The charity's acting head of advocacy and government relations, Madison Rogers, said recently there were 95 air gun attacks on cats in Wales and England in 2021 alone, but these were just those incidents reported on by the media, so the actual figure was thought to be far higher.
Ms Rogers said at the time: "Air guns are unlicensed in Wales and England, which means anyone aged over 18 can legally buy and own such a lethal weapon, no questions asked. This is in contrast with Scotland, which has strict rules in place on who can buy and own an air gun.
"It is clear that Scotland’s laws are working – over 90% of the air gun attacks we see on cats happen in England and Wales, where there are no controls. This is shocking, and shows that there is a problem with air guns being used irresponsibly in Wales and England, with cats frequently being the innocent victims.
"Discovering a much-loved pet cat has been shot with an air gun is deeply distressing for any owner. It is also a great concern for the wider community, who will understandably be very concerned that dangerous weapons are being used by individuals living in their area."
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