They heard Lily miaowing and she came in “looking like a drowned rat” with her leg hanging limply. An air gun pellet had severed the nerve in the cat’s leg and vets were unable to save it.
The couple, who live in the Severn Cliff flats, reported the incident to police, but there were no witnesses to how Lily came to sustain the pellet wound.
Mr and Mrs Dyke now fear a child could be the next victim of a stray air gun pellet because of the proximity of a scout hut in the nearby Ropewalk Dingle woodland. They say they regularly hear the sound of an airgun being fired in the neighbourhood and the Ropewalk Dingle is just behind the flats where they live.
The formerly neglected dingle is being developed as a public amenity and is being used more by families as well as scouts using the hut.
“We have heard shots being fired from an airgun on several occasions before and after the incident – more were heard by my wife on Monday night this week”, said Mr Dyke. “It sounded as if a gun was being fired in the woods.
“It is worrying now that the area has been developed as a walk and because children use the scout hut – we don’t want a child to get hurt.”
West Mercia Police press officer Maria Hawkaluk said officers investigating the incident would like information from members of the public because it was unclear whether an offence had been committed.
“It is not illegal to possess an airgun but pellets can cause serious damage and it is unlawful to use them in a public area without a reasonable excuse”, she said. “Firing at a cat constitutes criminal damage if it is intentional, but we do not know if this is what happened”.
Mr and Mrs Dyke say their pet was shot some time between 3pm and 7.30pm on Tuesday, October 7.
Anyone with information is asked to ring police on 08457 444 888.
