Hunt for gunman who killed cat with a rifle

The search is on for the person who shot dead a pet cat at point blank range.

The body of black cat Kizzy, aged six, was found riddled with bullets four miles away from home.

A litter picker stumbled across the cat in a field in Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, and contacted the owner after seeing an appeal on Facebook.

Kizzy had been missing for four days and his owners were ‘distraught’.

The RSPCA and Lincolnshire Police are appealing for information to track down his killer.

Inspector Kathleen Burris said: ‘We believe poor Kizzy was shot at close range with a rifle in his chest.

‘He would have suffered terribly and his owners are completely distraught by his death.

‘His owners had been searching for their missing cat for days, putting up posters and posts on social media, to try and find him.

‘The gentleman who found Kizzy’s body had seen the lost and found Facebook post so contacted the cat’s owners straight away.

‘Kizzy’s body was taken to the vet and an X-ray confirmed he had been shot.

‘This was a callous and deliberate attack on a much-loved pet so I am keen to find out if anyone saw or heard anything.’

The cat had been missing from his home on March 20, at around 8.30pm, and his body was found on March 24.

An X-ray revealed Kizzy had two wounds to the chest and a fractured rib, and there were also small metal fragments found inside him.

It is believed the cat was shot with a bullet sized .22 or larger, as the bullet went through his body.

Inspector Burris added: ‘It is very distressing to think that people take pleasure in causing such horrific injuries to defenceless animals.

‘This is a deliberate and brutal act of cruelty.’

A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson confirmed the force was aware of the incident.