Family’s anger and pain as cat killed by crossbow
£500 reward to help find cruel thug behind death of pet cat in Co Antrim
A CO Antrim family are outraged and heartbroken after their pet kitten died following a cruel crossbow attack.
The shocking incident happened at some time on Tuesday afternoon in Kells.
Tigger, an eight-month-old ginger tom, had to be put to sleep by a vet as the bolt had punctured his heart.
The much-loved pet was owned by Heather and Trevor Davidson.
Their son Michael appealed for anyone who had any information or who might have witnessed “this terrible act of cruelty” to contact police.
“My father recently suffered a stroke which impacted on his sight, so we got the cat to help him in his recovery,” Michael said.
“He has been going through a really rough time and Tigger brought him a bit of joy.”
He added: “I got the call from my dad at around five o’clock to say the cat had returned home very badly injured after being shot by a bolt.
“We don’t know how Tigger even managed to make it home in the first place.
“My mother was in hysterics and took him to the vet straight away, but there was nothing that could be done except to put him to sleep because the bolt had pierced his heart.
“Words can’t describe how I feel about this. An innocent kitten can’t even go outside without getting shot with a crossbow.
“My parents and I are absolutely distraught and heartbroken.
“We haven’t slept a wink because it’s so upsetting.”
The family are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the cruel thug responsible.
“There is £500 available for the person that helps me find the person who did this so we can get justice for this poor animal,” Michael said.
“This type of cruelty cannot be allowed to happen and it really makes my blood boil.
“Someone has to know something. I hope the person who has done this to my mother’s kitten gets what they deserve.”
The PSNI said: “Police attended a call today in the area of Connor whereby a young cat ‘Tigger’ has lost his life. This was as a result of being shot by a bolt. The young cat returned to his home address today at around 5pm after being let out at 12pm.
“Police are requesting for any information to assist with an ongoing investigation into this matter. Should anyone from the Kells and Connor area feel the information they have may be useful, please contact the police on 101 quoting CC 1746 16/03/21.”
There were 121 convictions for animal cruelty offences from 2018 to 2019, the last period for which official figures are available.
In a response to an Assembly question, Justice Minister Naomi Long told North Down DUP MLA Alex Easton: “There were 68 convictions at courts for offences under animal welfare legislation in 2018. Of these, five resulted in a custodial sentence, all of which were for offences related to domestic animals.
“In 2019, the most recent year for which information is available, there were 53 cases dealt with at courts which resulted in a conviction for offences under animal welfare legislation. Of these, five resulted in a custodial sentence, three of which were for offences related to domestic animals.”
‘My parents and I are absolutely distraught and heartbroken... this type of cruelty cannot be allowed, it makes my blood boil’