Accrington Observer

Stray Rufus rescued with pellet lodged in nose

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ANIMAL rescue workers have spoken of their shock after a SECOND cat was found shot in the head in Hyndburn.

Stray cat Rufus was found by a concerned resident on Bold Street in Accrington on Thursday, April 20, who reported it to the Friends of the Cats group.

Rufus, who is a ginger domestic short hair, was rushed to Vets4Pets in Accrington where an x-ray revealed a gun pellet lodged in his nose.

It is the second cat shooting in less than a week after two-year-old Jasper was shot six times in the head with an air gun in Oswaldtwis­tle.

Andy Richards, of Friends of the Cats, based in Accrington, described the people behind the attack as ‘monstrous’ and said he hopes it isn’t the start of a shooting spree.

He said: “We don’t know if the two are linked. It could be the same person that’s done both. I hope it’s not as that means it could be the start of a pattern.

“There’s a lovely lady on Bold Street who feeds quite a few stray cats. She got in touch with me because she was concerned that one of them was struggling to breathe, coughing up blood and unsteady on its legs.

“The vets were concerned that it might be a nasal tumour as Rufus smelled really bad. They did an x-ray the next day and you could have knocked me over with a feather when they found a pellet and said he had been shot. It’s really, really shocking.”

Andy said Rufus is believed to be over 10 years old and has been a stray cat for several years.

He is now in a foster home but is struggling to overcome an infection.

He said: “He’s been left traumatise­d and is very withdrawn. The worrying thing now is the infection he has from the pellet. He is still very poorly. I just don’t know how people can live with themselves and look in the mirror. Does it make them feel big shooting an animal?

“Somebody must know something. It’s unlikely whoever has done this has kept quiet about it. If they will shoot an animal they will shoot people. They need stopping now.”

Lancashire Police said the incident was reported to them on Saturday, April 22. A spokespers­on said: “We received a report of an injured cat. The person reporting it said that they had taken the cat to a vet and they had been told that it had been shot in the face with a pellet.”

Anyone with informatio­n can call police on 101 quoting log number 531 of April 22.

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