UNITED KINGDOM – A kitten was recently left with an airgun pellet permanently lodged in his skull after being shot three times.
Nine-month-old Tic had had to have an eye removed and underwent three life-saving operations after an ordeal which vets described as “one of the cruellest cases” they have ever seen.
The black and white kitty is currently recovering at home in Delves Lane, near Consett.
Tic went missing for a total of two days but then staggered home with severe head and eye injuries and owners Claire and Stephen Morgan rushed him to Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital in Leadgate.
X-rays proved that airgun pellets were 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, and he later returned to have an eye removed as it wouldn’t heal.
However, a third pellet in his skull cannot be removed because it is located in such a delicate area, although it is not expected to cause any problems.
Vet Dr Emma Hindson stated: “Tic has been very lucky and we expect him to make a full recovery even though he has been shot three times and undergone 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”.
She went on to add: “It is one of the cruellest cases we have seen, but he is very fortunate to have such caring owners.”
Claire Morgan stated: “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 isn’t the first time that Tic has had a narrow escape in his short life having been found abandoned with his twin, Tac, in a tyre after his mother was murdered by a fox.
Both were taken in by Mr and Mrs Morgan who were living in the Middle East at the time and brought them both back to Britain in June.
