A COUPLE'S pet cat will need surgery to remove its eye after it was shot in the face with an air-rifle.
Elizabeth Dillingham told the Chronicle of her upset to find her four-year-old Persian cat Roma on the doorstep bleeding from his right eye on Monday night.
She said: "It was about 9pm and my husband went to let him in and he was on the doorstep. I knew straight away something was wrong.
"That's when we saw his eye was gushing with blood. It looked awful and you could see he was in so much pain. It's so upsetting to think he had to drag himself home like that."
An x-ray at Abbey vets revealed a pellet from an air-rifle had lodged at the back of his right eye socket close to the skull.
The couple have been told there is no doubt Roma will lose his eye but the vet is waiting for the swelling to go down before operating.
Elizabeth believes the incident happened close to her home on Plantains land, a former quarry site at the top of Orchard Close between New Road and Staincross Common.
She said: "He never strays far and we've noticed kids messing with air rifles up there before. In my opinion they shouldn't even be allowed to keep guns like that or have access to them.
"It's hard to pinpoint what's happened to Roma on these youths but I think it's important to warn other owners that someone is out there is taking pot shots at pets and they need to stay vigilant."
The couple have reported the incident to the police who are now investigating.
