Cat owner calls for air gun ban after pet is shot

A woman whose cat was hit four times by air gun pellets is calling for the weapons to be banned or used only with a licence.

The mother-of-three, from Houghton Regis, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said she noticed Tommy's injuries on 6 April.

She said the two-year-old had pellets lodged just above his right eye, in his chest, behind his front left leg and by his spine, and he needed surgery to have them removed.

A government spokesperson said: "Firearms controls are kept under constant review to keep the public safe."

"I feel I can't go in my garden anymore with my children," the woman said.

"I'm terrified... My children are very upset."

She said that after she posted details of the incident on social media, she had been told of other incidents in the area, with another cat, a window and a car also reportedly hit.

Tommy was expected to make a full recovery following surgery to have the pellets removed.

"I would like these guns to be banned or used only with a licence, [so in] cases of misuse the culprit [can] be found quickly," she said.

Insp Richard Cunningham, of Bedfordshire Police, said: "We encourage anyone with information about this incident, or any other concerns in the area, to report it to us.

"These reports help us to build a fuller picture of what is happening in our neighbourhoods and allow us to take action, address issues and disrupt criminal behaviour at an early stage."

A certificate is not needed for air weapons for people aged 18 or over in England or Wales. However, it is illegal for people younger than that to buy or hire an air weapon or ammunition for one, and it is an offence to knowingly cause a pet to suffer unnecessarily.

A government spokesperson said: "Firearms controls are kept under constant review to keep the public safe. Air weapon owners must store them safely away from children, and more powerful weapons require a licence.

"The government takes animal welfare seriously and anyone who misuses air weapons against animals or wildlife is liable to be prosecuted."

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "We continue to call for tighter controls on air weapons.

"This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop, could help relieve the problem."

The RSPCA said that between 2022 and 2024 it had received 497 reports of air guns, catapults and crossbows being used to target animals.

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