Fife police are hunting callous cat killers after a spate of airgun attacks.
A Burntisland couple were heartbroken when their beloved cat Cleo died after being shot on Saturday. It followed a similar incident in Townhill last month, amid reports of other cat attacks in the Dunfermline area.
Tane Piper (29) and Alexandria Siemens (30), of Ferguson Place, Burntisland, are devastated after losing five-year-old Cleo and have offered a £1000 reward for information.
“We will offer that money to whoever provides information that leads to a successful prosecution,” said Mr Piper. “My girlfriend had been shopping on Saturday to buy treats for the cats but when we went to the window we could only see one of them. We couldn’t see Cleo.
“When I saw her stumble out I thought she was sleepy, then I saw blood and she was foaming at the mouth. It took her about an hour to die and it would have been a painful death.”
The couple called the emergency vet, but there was nothing that could be done to save the cat’s life.
“After Saturday, we’re not letting the other cats out and there’s a cat owner on our street who has blocked the cat flap to stop her cat getting out.
“We just want to get information. We want to find out if anyone, maybe a kid, has been bragging that they have shot a cat, or if anyone knows anyone who has an air rifle in the area.”
Morag Allan (58), of Townhill, lost her two-year-old tortoiseshell Noo after it was shot with an airgun on August 11. She found the cat lying outside her home.HorribleShe said: “I took her in to the vet and they said there was a pellet lodged that had gone through her intestine. It must have been very painful. She was an adorable little cat.
“I think other cats have been shot in Townhill. I’ve heard two other people talking about it, and cats have disappeared as well. Some people are just horrible.”
Scottish SPCA Deputy Chief Superintendent Tom Gatherer said: “Worryingly, airgun attacks on animals are becoming all too common and this causes the society great concern. Cats are the most common target, followed by wildlife.
“These two incidents are yet more sickening examples of defenceless animals being maimed and killed as a result of airgun misuse.”
Fife Constabulary’s wildlife and environmental crime co-ordinator Ian Laing said: “These incidents cause a lot of unnecessary distress to the animals and their owners but over and above that there are concerns with air weapons being discharged in residential areas and the associated risks to the public.
“For those reasons, we will be conducting extensive inquiries into both of these incidents and would seek the assistance of the communities involved.”
Anyone with information can contact Fife Police on 0845 6005702 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, where all calls are treated anonymously.