Welcome to your local community website...
Northwood cat shot with pellet gun
A CAT owner whose beloved tabby was shot with an airgun fears the attacker will strike again.
Three-year-old Toby was shot from above as he strolled in gardens near his home in Hilliard Road, Northwood.
The lead pellet became lodged behind his knee cap and the moggy had to have an operation to remove it. Owner Justin Darbon said it was lucky Toby was not killed.
He said: "The vet said a lot of cats do die from it.
"The powerful shot usually goes through one of their organs or gets caught in their spine and they die horribly."
Mr Darbon, 39, told how his wife noticed the cat was injured when it came home at about 2.15pm on Saturday last week.
"I was out and she called me up and said something is wrong with Toby," he said. "He looked a bit swollen. We thought he'd had a road accident at first."
Mr Darbon, who runs a printing business, is trying to raise awareness of the incident to warn other pet owners. He has reported it to his police safer neighbourhood team and is planning on spreading the word with a leaflet campaign.
He said: "I don't know whether Toby just got into the wrong garden with someone who didn't want him there, or whether it was a kid messing around with a pellet gun.
"What I want to do now is stop it happening to other people's pets."
Has anything like this ever happened to your pet? Let us know by posting a comment below.
We'd like to hear from you. Send your stories, pics and videos
Older/Newer
« Speeding to be probed in Northwood roads | Support needed for Hills funding bid »
What sick person would do such a barbaric thing? It beggars belief!
And I assume the police don't have the resources to do anything?
Get well soon Toby.
this is such a horrible and cowardly thing to do to a helpless animal.
lets hope that someone gets caught for doing this. get well soon Toby xxx