A mum whose cat died after being shot with a pellet gun has spoken of the 'horrific' attack.
Yvonne Toner from Southport came home last Tuesday to find the family cat Toby with blood on his side. She initially believed that he had been hit by a car but after being x-rayed at the vets it was discovered that he had a pellet lodged in his side just behind his kidneys.
After an emergency operation, Toby was then taken to her son's appendment to recover but was rushed back to the vet after his condition began to worsen. He died two days after being shot.
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Speaking to the ECHO the mum of three said: "What sort of person does that to a cat. It is a horrible thing to do.
"He went back to the emergency vet because his breathing had changed. When my son and his girlfriend got to the vets they said there was nothing more they could do.
"They said there were complications and air on his lungs. He was only two".
Toby was originally Yvonne's son Joshua's but had been living with her for the last year. She said the whole family 'loved' the cat and her son referred to him as his 'little man'.
Yvonne, 45, said: "My daughter and I were both very upset over it. That day she had to go in to do her GCSE math's exam she just about managed to get through it."
"It's horrendous that people are doing things like this. They should report things like this to the police otherwise it is not going to stop. I want the person to come forward, apologise, and pay my vet bill".
A spokesperson for the police said: "We were contacted on 18 th May following reports that between 11.30 am and 6.40 pm the previous day a cat had been shot with a pellet gun at an unknown location. Anyone with information can DM @MerPolCC quoting reference 22000340843."
