The owner of a cat cruelly shot by an anonymous gunman has vowed to catch the person responsible with the help of her neighbours.

Lara Breen of Hilfield Lane near Patchetts Green started the campaign after her beloved rescue cat Smudge was shot with a rifle on October 2.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Smudge, who was adopted by Lara from Luton Cat Protection, spent several days receiving care at the vet after he was targeted near Bushey.

The bullet, believed to be from a 2.2 air rifle, ripped through his major organs including his lung, liver, kidney, stomach and spleen.

Lara said: “There was a high risk he wouldn’t survive, but he did – he’s a fighter.”

Lara’s neighbour and mother were housesitting while she was on holiday when the incident happened.

She said: “Our CCTV footage shows Smudge leaving the house and then coming back not half an hour later, clearly injured.

“My mother arrived at the house and saw Smudge was covered in blood. She took him to the vet where he was stabilised that evening.”

“The bullet went through his major organs. The vet said he was lucky to be alive, they didn’t expect him to survive.”

Lara said she believed Smudge had been shot shortly after midday on the back fence of one of the homes in Hilfield Lane.

She added: “We are talking to other neighbours, we have put out flyers asking for help to see if we can deter this person from doing this again.

“We are worried someone is pointing guns around near people’s children and pets and of course I am upset, to say the least, someone has injured my cat.

“We are determined to find out who it is. All we are looking for is information that may lead to a public prosecution, but primarily we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

When asked about her response to the shooting, Lara said: “I don’t want to get into the mind of someone like that, it’s not something I can understand.

“We are pet lovers and people have pets in the area, so it is really a worry.

“It’s the not knowing whether to let him out again. Smudge is clearly shaken by the incident.”

Lara told the Watford Observer the vet later told her his cat had also been shot through the neck near Radlett. She said: “This is not an isolated incident from what the vet said.

“Smudge was the third shooting incident he had dealt with that week.”

Smudge is due to have some stitches removed next week.