Pet cat dies after being shot in Horsham - days after swan shootings

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A pet cat had to be put down by a vet after it was shot in Horsham.

The shooting comes just weeks after another cat was shot in the town and days after two swans were shot in Southwater Country Park.

The latest incident happened on Monday (August 2) in the Eversfield Road/Bennetts Road area of Horsham.

Karen Newell said she and her husband Darren had just gone out for a coffee in their back garden when they saw their pat cat Blue coming up the path, crawling on his front legs.

Blue - His family are distraught after he had to be put down after being shot near his home in Horsham

“I immediately thought he had been hit by a car,” said Karen. She phoned the emergency vet at Farthings in Guildford Road.

“The vet thought they could see something was very seriously wrong,” said Karen. “They called my husband in and showed him a hole he had in his back.

“He had been shot and his legs were paralysed which is why he couldn’t walk. We had to have him put down.”

Now the distraught family - Blue belonged to Karen’s daughter Kayley - want to warn other pet owners to be on the alert.

“It’s horrible. People need to be vigilant,” said Karen. “I don’t want any more cats, or any other animals, injured.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to witness what we witnessed when we saw our cat dragging himself up the path.

“He had completely lost the use of his legs.”

She said Blue had been a very loving cat. “He didn’t hurt anyone.”

The shooting follows that of a swan shot dead, and another injured, in Southwater Country Park on July 30.

Another cat was shot in Horsham a week previously but is now recovering.

Karen, who reported the shooting to Sussex Police, said that officers were to issue warning leaflets in the area.