ENGLAND – An elderly cat is lucky to be alive after being shot with an air rifle in Wirral .
Twenty-three-year-old Chester needed to undergo surgery after a pellet tore through muscle and became lodged in a bone.
His owners, who live in The Paddock in Upton, discovered he had been injured after he came home last Wednesday covered in blood.
Twenty-three year old Chester the cat who is recovering after being shot with an air rifle
They reported the incident to the RSPCA, who are currently appealing for information.
Wirral RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes stated: “We don’t know where or when it happened but a 23-year-old cat is not going to go far from his home.
“The pellet went straight through the muscle and lodged in a bone, which stopped it going through into the colon.
“His owner noticed something wasn’t right when he came home. They picked him up and got blood on their hands.”
23-year-old cat Chester is recovering after being shot with an air rifle in Upton, Wirral. Photo: RSPCA
Chester, miraculously, is now recovering at home after his ordeal.
Inspector Joynes went on to add: “The poor cat is 23 years old and must be one of Wirral’s oldest living cats. His owners have been left with a bill for hundreds of pounds.
“We have dealt with a number of cases of wildlife being shot over the last couple of years.
“It’s completely callous and cowardly for someone to be taking pot shots at animals, and it’s also a criminal offense.”
The RSPCA is appealing for information about an elderly cat called Chester was shot with an air rifle in Upton, Wirral
Anyone with information is being asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999
