A woman who found and took in a cat after it had been shot on a Pembrokeshire street has told of her heartbreak on having to have the animal put down.

There have been two cat shootings just streets apart and within two days of each other in Fishguard this month and members of the pubic are urged to be vigilant.

Chloe Warren’s sister found the animal in a bad way in the road at Dan y Bryn on the evening of Thursday, May 5.

At first they thought the cat, which they subsequently named Hope, had been hit by a car.

Chloe and her family searched in vain for Hope’s owner before taking her to Fishguard Veterinary Services.

The vet found that she had a broken leg and an X-ray revealed that she had a shattered shoulder after being shot twice with an air rifle and that her leg needed amputating.

Western Telegraph: Hope recovering after having to have her leg amputated due to the shootingHope recovering after having to have her leg amputated due to the shooting

At first she was fine after the operation.

“She was walking about and jumping as if nothing had happened,” said Chloe.

However, on the Sunday after the shooting she took a turn for the worse and despite repeated trips to the vets, including an emergency appointment, and injections and steroids, Hope did not improve.

It transpired that she had had a heart attack and her liver was failing and nothing more could be done. Chloe had to make the heart-breaking decision to have Hope put down.

“As much as it was the nicest thing to do for her it was the hardest decision I had to make but I had to do it,” said Chloe.

“It plays on my mind all the time my heart is genuinely broken from what the poor thing had to go through.

“We named her Hope but unfortunately hope wasn’t on her side.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said the charity received 454 calls about animals being shot with air guns last year - the majority of these concerned cats or wildlife.

“It’s very distressing to think that people take pleasure from cruelly and deliberately targeting animals in this way but sadly, these types of incidents are not uncommon,” she said.

We always tend to see a rise in the number of attacks on animals in the summer months when the days are longer and people are spending more time outside “We continue to call for stricter regulations around owning an airgun. Better education, basic safety training and a thorough explanation of the law - including our legal obligations towards animals - could help protect countless animals from these horrible attacks in the future."

The RSPCA appeal line for people who may have information about these shootings is 0300 123 8018 or contact PC 543 Rowlands of Dyfed Powys Police at christian.rowlands@dyfed-powys.police.uk quoting reference number DPP/0026/07/05/2022/02/C.