A CAT had to have its leg amputated after it was shot with a pellet gun.

Becky Lamb, from Honeybourne, near Evesham, said 13 month old kitten, Ronnie, kitten went missing on Saturday, August 15.

When he finally came home five days later, Ms Lamb said he was so badly injured she thought he had been attacked by another animal.

"I thought he had been bitten by a dog or a fox, although he's not a confrontational cat and will usually back away from any fights. I thought it was strange.

"I took him straight to the vets. They did X-rays and found he had actually been shot with a BB Gun or an air rifle in the knee cap. He was in such a bad way. We had no choice but to have his leg amputated, and his hip removed too.

"It cost us £1,400 to have the operation and he only came out of the vets on Wednesday night (August 27). But it isn't about the money. I was so angry when the vets told me they thought he had been shot."

Although Ronnie is now back home and on the road to recovery, Ms Lamb said she wants to warn people.

"To think that someone did this intentionally and caused an innocent creature so much suffering for nothing is horrific," she said.

"I want to warn people that there is someone out there who has done this to my cat. It's just disgusting.

"It breaks the kids hearts to see him like this.

"The vets say he will be okay from now on and will adapt to living with three legs but it's such unnecessary suffering."

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "Between 9am on Saturday, August 15 and 9am on Monday, August 17 on Beaufort End in Honeybourne, Evesham, a cat has been shot with a pellet gun. The cat is male with white with black spots. As a result it has had to have its leg amputated. Anyone with information should call 101 quoting incident 446S of 26th August."