Sunderland family’s heartbreak as pet cat put to sleep after being shot with an air rifle

Amy Mitchinson has spoken of her family’s heartbreak after their cat Jim was shot with an air rifle in the Hastings Hill area of Sunderland, just days after his eighth birthday.

Jim was out roaming on Friday, October 1, when he was discovered injured and was sadly put to sleep on Saturday, October 2, as his injuries were too severe.

Amy has revealed her family’s shock after they found out from an emergency vet about what had actually caused Jim’s injuries.

The 26-year-old said: “Jim would roam on a night but would always be back at around 9pm however it wasn’t until 11pm that my dad heard a slight scratching at the back gate and discovered him covered in blood.

"We thought that he might have been attacked by another cat however when we took him to the vet, x-rays showed that his jaw had been shattered by an air rifle shot.

"Unfortunately Jim had to be put to sleep and the vet said that it was a very close shot so therefore it was deliberate.

"We are really shocked that anyone could do that to him, we are all devastated and heartbroken by what has happened.”

Amy posted about the incident on social media which has prompted others to come forward about the same thing happening to them.

She added: “So many people have been sending kind messages of support but others have also got in touch who have gone through similar incidents like this.

"People are telling us that they are worried to let their cats out to roam now but we want to raise awareness to try and prevent this from happening.

"In someways, we wish that it had been a cat that had attacked Jim rather than someone doing this to him.

"We have contacted the police who have asked for people to report anything to them.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson commented: “We can confirm we received a report that a cat had been shot in Sunderland on Friday evening (October 1).

“Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting crime number 108566V/21.”

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