A woman was left in shock when her cat returned home with a serious shotgun wound.
Vets told Clare Bluett her four-year-old tabby Kato was hit at close range with a shotgun cartridge. One of his legs had to be amputated to save his life.
The cat was shot on the evening of February 8 while walking in Rhydowen, Llandysul, where he is known to Clare's neighbours as Friendly Cat.
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Clare, who is fundraising to help cover the medical bill, said: "He's so trusting he probably would have walked straight up to the person. I can't imagine why someone would do something like that."
A neighbour had seen Kato unhurt at about 5.30pm on the evening of the attack. The cat managed to get home at about 7.30pm following the shooting.
Clare, a 39-year-old cleaning supervisor, said: "I heard a bit of a clatter at the cat flap. I didn't think much of it, then I saw Kato appear at the doorway. He was covered in mud and holding his leg up, looking at me.
"I picked him up and he growled which is unusual because he's a really placid cat. He was clearly in a lot of discomfort. I felt his leg and my hand was wet with blood."
Clare rushed Kato to Carmarthen Vet Centre where he was sedated. She said his entry wound was a "mess" and an X-ray showed his leg had been "completely shattered", with a risk of a severe infection.
She added: "I was in shock to hear he'd been shot. There was no saving the leg, the only option was to amputate. They asked me if I wanted that, because not every owner wants that for their pet or can afford it."
Clare faced a bill of £2,667 but she did not hesitate in her decision to go ahead with the operation.
"He's only four and he's a healthy cat, so there's no reason he can't live another 10 years," she said. "I frantically rang someone I knew that could help with a credit card because I can't afford that sort of money.
"He also has shot fragments in his chest and jaw which the vet said aren’t causing him any problems. It would cause more damage to remove them than leave them."
It is not the first time the Llandysul area has seen attacks on cats. Two were shot with air guns in 2015, then another was shot eight times with an air weapon the following January.
"I live in a small cluster of about 10 houses surrounded by farms," said Clare. "I don't know who did this, but if anyone else in the area has noticed their pet acting off, I think they should get them checked out because they may have been shot.
"The vets said they often find shots in pets when having an X-ray for other reasons. When a shotgun cartridge hits something the shot inside spreads out so an animal can have one or more bits of shot around the body without being shot by the cartridge directly."
Clare, who has two other cats, has feared for them when they have gone outside since the shooting.
She said "fighter" Kato is healing well, adding: "He's got a will to live. He's learning to use the three legs. Pardon the pun, he's taken it all in his stride — or more in his hop.
"My neighbour knocked on the door a couple of days after the amputation and he was practically in tears. He couldn't believe something had happened to 'Friendly Cat'. He brought some posh cat food which Kato thought was brilliant. I'll have to get it again now."
Clare hopes to raise £2,000 to go towards the £2,667 bill. "In hindsight I wish I'd got pet insurance but you don't think something like this will happen," she said.
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Police received a report on Thursday, February 10 that a cat had been shot and injured in the Rhydowen area of Llandysul. The incident is reported to have occurred sometime between 5pm and 7.45pm on Tuesday, February 8.
"Anyone with information is asked to report it to Dyfed-Powys Police, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908."
If you have information to share with police about this case, you should quote reference code DPP/4652/10/02/2022/02/C.
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