Vets save life of Consett cat left for dead after air rifle attack
A County Durham vets has been praised for saving the life of a young cat left for dead after being shot three times with an air rifle.
Tic, a nine-month-old rescue, had to have an eye removed and still has a pellet lodged in his skull after the attack near his home in Delves Lane, Consett.
The black and white cat was missing for two days, but managed to stagger home with severe head and eye injuries.
Owners Claire and Stephen Morgan rushed him to Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital in Leadgate, where he underwent three life-saving operations, and is now recovering at home following his ordeal.
At first it was not clear what had caused Tic’s injuries when he was brought into Prince Bishop Vets and, after being given pain relief and antibiotics, vet Emma Hindson X-rayed the stricken cat.
They discovered airgun pellets lodged in his skull, behind his ear and in his abdomen.
Vets were able to remove two of the pellets, but had to cut away part of his intestine due to the extent of the damage inflicted by the pellet. He returned three weeks later to have an eye removed as it wouldn’t heal.
Because it is in such a delicate area, a third pellet in his skull cannot be removed, but is not expected to cause him any problems.
Dr Hindson said: “Tic has been very lucky and we expect him to make a full recovery even though he has been shot three times and undergone two lots of major surgery.
“He is a very sweet cat and we can’t understand why someone would shoot an animal. To shoot him three times is just horrifying. Cats will normally flee if they are under threat, so he must have been shot three times in quick succession or he was unable to move after the first shot and they have fired two more pellets at him while he was immobile.
“It took a real team effort to save Tic, from the skill of veterinary surgeons Jacqui Molyneux and Gillian Brown, who performed the two operations, to the aftercare from our superb nursing staff.
“It is one of the cruellest cases we have seen, but he is very fortunate to have such caring owners.”
Prince Bishop Clinical Director Dr Jacqui Molyneux, who performed the life-saving surgery, said: “I am appalled that people think it is acceptable to shoot a cat.
“We are seeing this quite regularly and have had several cases in the last few months, which is very disturbing.”
Claire Morgan had been preparing to put flyers around the area appealing for news of her missing cat, when Tic staggered through the front door on August 1.
At first his owners thought he had been involved in a road accident as there were no obvious signs he had been shot.
Claire said: “It’s thanks to the vets at Prince Bishop that he is still with us as they got him stabilised and X-rayed him.
“I couldn’t believe it at first when my husband and I were told he had been shot. We are both furious and incredibly sad, but just happy that he is alive.
“The pellets had points on them so they were designed to kill – and three shots is like an assassination.
“It hasn’t been easy because he had to have part of his intestine removed and then there were problems with his eye and a lump on his neck, but the team at Prince Bishop Vets were absolutely fantastic. They haven’t been motivated by money. It’s all been about caring for him.”
It isn’t the first time Tic has found himself in a scrape. As a kitten in Dubai, he was found abandoned with his twin, Tac, in a tyre after his mother was eaten by a fox.
Tic and Tac, who are Arabian Mau cats, were hand-reared by Claire and her husband Stephen when they were living in Dubai, and both kittens moved to Britain in June with the couple and their six other cats – Joey, Junior, Blackie, Ginge, Buster and Boo Boo.
Claire added: “They are a bundle of love, who have brought so much joy to us.
“They all go on walks together, play together and sleep together. They were frantic when Tic was missing and were climbing up trees, calling for him. We are just relieved there has been a happy ending.”