A family in Sidcup have been left devastated after their cat was nearly killed when shot with an air rifle – the second incident of this kind on their street.
Smudge the cat was left in intensive care after being shot on September 29 in the lung with a sharp tipped air rifle pellet which are typically used for hunting or pest control.
The family pet was saved by emergency surgery, but his vet bills are estimated to cost more than £10,000.
Mr Tanner, Smudge’s owner, explained that he is concerned that someone in the area is targeting the animals as his neighbour’s cat was also shot back in March.
The neighbour’s cat, Mowgli, recovered from his attack but went missing soon after, leaving his owner concerned that “whoever was responsible could have possibly shot him again.”
The Tanners, who live on Cedar Avenue, reported the incident to the police the day after they found Smudge injured.
Mr Tanner, 42, told the News Shopper: “I would love to see an arrest to be honest because the financial and emotional impact of someone pulling the trigger, walking away and thinking nothing of it, is quite huge.
“These things affect people and families.”
His two children are upset by the act of cruelty, particularly his ten-year-old daughter who wants to be a vet when she grows up.
He explained: “My daughter is incredibly angry and she doesn't understand why anyone would be out there doing that sort of thing.
“My wife’s immediate reaction was to put the house on the market, move away and find somewhere else.
“She doesn’t want to live in an area where someone is doing something like that.”
Mr Tanner and his wife noticed blood on the dining room chair on September 29 before releasing that Smudge was looking unwell and limp.
He tried to give him some treats, which he refused – something which Mr Tanner described as being “very unusual” for Smudge.
After examining him further, they noticed a hole in his side.
Mr Tanner rushed Smudge to an emergency vet in Abbey Wood as it was too late in the night to go to his usual one, but the family pet was unable to be treated due to the number of emergencies coming in.
Smudge was brought back home at around 3am as Mr Tanner needed to leave for a charity bike ride at 7am that morning, but Mrs Tanner took him to their local vets the next day.
They immediately referred him to Queen’s Mother Animal Hospital in Hartfield for treatment.
The hospital called back on Saturday, October 1, and confirmed that he had been shot with an air gun.
The couple made the decision to save his life and the overall estimated vet bills are now costing more than £10,000.
The pellet was removed from Smudge’s lung, which luckily did not puncture through.
While the family is insured up to £7,000, Mr Tanner will have to find the money for the additional cost.
Mr Tanner said: “You make a commitment by getting an animal, we've got three, we got two cats and dog at the same time during lockdown, because we're crazy.
“But you make commitments to these animals that you will do what you can for them.
“I mean I am now going to have to find £3,000 out of my own pocket which is astonishing because it is not through any fault of my own – it is someone else’s.
“Luckily we have insurance but for anyone else out there that does not have insurance to then suddenly have to make that decision to proceed with lifesaving treatment that they cannot afford is just ridiculous.”
Smudge is now recovering “surprisingly well” and keeps removing his cone as well as trying to escape the room he is resting in.
In order to own an air gun, you must be over the age of 18, however you do not require a licence unless they are a type declared “specially dangerous” by the law.
However, Mr Tanner said he thinks it could be children who have got a hold of someone else’s weapon and were using it unsupervised.
The family is concerned that there is someone repeatedly attacking animals in the area as after neighbour Mowgli was also shot in March.
Mrs Clark, Mowgli's owner, explained how her pet was taken to the vet and a very similar air rifle hunting pellet was recovered from his skin.
Mowgli made a recovery and was allowed back outside a few weeks later.
However, the black and white cat then went missing around four days after and Mrs Clark said that she was “worried that whoever was responsible could have possibly shot him again and this time he never made it home.”
She added: “My concern is whether it was teenagers or maybe someone who has got hold of a firearm who is just taking pot shots, you just don’t know.
“We live so close, so you are worried it is someone local in the are – the cats don’t really wander far.
“When you are anxious you are thinking of every possible scenario and your mind runs riot.”
Mr Tanner said: “We are worried because we can’t keep outdoor cats out of other people’s gardens.
“The fact we have two young children as well worries us.
“I mean, they are high-powered weapons, and they cause damage quite clearly - Especially if you're using hunting ammunition.
“It only takes someone to aim in the wrong direction, or just to have a joking shot for it to be fatal.
“I wouldn't say that needs to be outlawed.
“These things have a place for responsible people that are using them for sport or using them for effective pest control - Or even people that are trying to put food on the table that live in the country.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called on 3 October after a woman in Cedar Avenue Bexley DA15 (Near the Oval, Sidcup) reported that her cat had been shot with a pellet on 29 September.
“There have been no arrests.”
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