By Graham Brown

POLICE IN Angus have mounted an investigation after the heartless shooting of a pet cat in a quiet rural village.

The animal was targeted with an air rifle earlier this week, and after losing an eye as a result of the cruel act its fate still hangs in the balance with vets due to make a decision over whether the pet is strong enough to survive an operation to remove the pellet now lodged in its neck.

The owners of three-year-old black and grey tabby Missy have been sickened by the incident, and appalled that it could have taken place virtually on their doorstep in broad daylight.

Missy’s owner, Mrs Natalie Smith, said the shooting took place on Monday afternoon when the cat had been away from their home in Bowriefauld, near Letham, for a short time.

“She’s a three-year-old and is quite timid so she never goes very far away from the house and always returns quite quickly to check that we are still here,” said Natalie.

“She came back home about 1.45pm and I saw that her eye was all bloody and protruding and just about hanging out,” added the devastated owner.

“We wrapped her in a blanket and got her to the vet’s, who initially thought that she may have been in a fight with another cat, or hit by a car.”

“They had to do x-rays and when they called us back later that night they told us the pellet had penetrated her eye and is now in her neck.

“The eye will be lost, but because she is not stable they said they were going to give her 48 hours to recover from the shock of it and then try to operate,” she added.

“People in the village have naturally been quite shocked to hear about this and there has been a lot of sympathy, but it just upsets us so much to think that someone has done this.”

Mrs Smith added, “We got Missy from a shelter when she was about a year old and had been abandoned and we know that she doesn’t go far.

“She was out for a maximum of an hour and it just sickens you to think that someone has done this in the middle of the day.

“We feel it has to be someone in Bowrie because she was away from the house for such a short time.

“Children are all away at school during the day so we just don’t know who would have been as cruel as to do something like this.

“My daughter, Alexandra, was also at school when this happened so she didn’t see Missy when she came home but she is so upset that someone has done this,” said Mrs Smith.

Police said they believed the incident happened between 12.30pm and 1.45pm on Monday and have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on Forfar (01307) 302200.

“We are always extremely concerned when an air weapon is used in a reckless and irresponsible way,” said a police spokesperson.

“It is all the more concerning when an animal is subjected to such appalling cruelty.

“We would urge people to assist our inquiries and prevent a repeat of this kind of behaviour.”

The SSPCA condemned the attack but said the Angus incident was the latest sad case in a disturbing catalogue of cruelty, particularly towards cats.

“The Scottish SPCA was disgusted to hear a cat had been shot with an airgun in Bowriefauld,” said a spokesperson.

“Sadly, airgun attacks on animals are all too common and this cowardly act will not only have caused the cat to suffer but will also have been immensely distressing for her owner.

“This was obviously a deliberate act which should be of public concern as there has been proven to be a direct link between the abuse of animals and human violence.

“We would urge anyone with information to come forward and let the police know,” the spokesperson added.

“Those who misuse airguns can cause untold suffering to animals.

“Our 2005 survey Airgun Agony highlighted the problem in Scotland, revealing that 40% of our inspectors and vets across the country had knowledge of an animal being injured or killed by an airgun in the past year.

“In all, 172 cases were reported, with cats being the most common target, followed by wildlife.

“It must be stressed that these are only the reported cases.”