A six-month old kitten had to be rushed to a Scots vets after being shot as the sick attacker was 'aiming for its head'.
Little Tango was targeted in the Sclattie Park area of Aberdeen on Saturday night as his distraught owners initially thought he had been in a fight with another cat.
David O'Neill and Mandy Anderson were horrified to learn that Tango had been shot with a pellet gun after rushing him to the vets when he returned home incontinence of urine, faeces and in visible pain.
They are now offering a £500 reward for any information that will help find the callous culprit, Aberdeen Live reports.
Tango had only been allowed wander the streets in the last week but is now set to undergo an operation as his owners are uncertain of the damage that's been done internally.
Now a "disgusted" David has put up a reward in the hope of bringing the culprit to justice.
The 54-year-old said: "We've only just let the cat out within the last week or so.
"He normally just goes around the houses nearby and the area around where we live, the back of Davy's chipper.
"On Saturday, the weather was really good and we had the back door open and Tango came back. We thought he had been attacked by another cat, so we took him to the vet.
"The vet had him assessed and they said he had been shot. The vet said that whoever did it was aiming for his head and it skimmed off his body."
David added: "They're now going to have him operated on and they don't know what internal damage has been done. That's why I'm offering the reward because somebody must know who done this.
"It's a small enough area, I'm not pointing fingers but I'm sure someone out there will know who was responsible."
David and Mandy had only moved to the area and recent months.
Police Scotland are investigating the matter and David is determined to have the culprit prosecuted.
"I'm honestly just disgusted. I'm angry," David added.
"This was calculated. This isn't somebody out shooting cans or bottles it's a kitten.
"We love the area here, everybody has been great so this is just one poisoned apple.
"Whoever done this, people know who they are so hopefully they get found."
The Scottish SPCA said the incident had not yet been reported to them.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Sunday, 24 April, police received a report that a cat had been injured after being shot by a pellet gun in the area of Sclattie Park, Bucksburn.
"Enquiries are ongoing into this matter.
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