AN animal-lover has slammed mindless thugs who shot her pet cat with an airgun and left it fighting for its sight.

Ann Weeks, from Appledore Grove, Sutton Leach, let her grey, tabby and white cat, Bambi, out of the house as usual on Friday evening, July 28. But the five-year-old pet didn't return that night and when it did eventually make its way home on Sunday afternoon, it was obvious something was wrong.

Ann said: "Bambi was in a terrible state. Her fur was all matted with dried blood and she was swollen on one side.

"I didn't know what had happened but when we took her to the vets, he said an air gun pellet was lodged at the back of her neck. Apparently, it had gone in through the bottom of her left eye, narrowly missing it. But the vet thinks she will still be blinded." She added: "This isn't the first time a cat of mine has gone missing. I used to have three cats and last September, one of them, Pebbles, wandered off and I never saw her again. Now I think she was shot and probably died as a result.

"Why would anyone want to do such a thing to a defenceless animal? And it could have been much worse. It could have been a child or person who was shot. When are people going to realise the dangers of these air guns?"