Bolton pet owner speaks of shock after cat shot in leg

Faz Martin, of Longfield Road, Daubhill,  noticed something was wrong when four-year-old Blackjack started limping after he returned home just after 8pm on Monday.

The 41-year-old took the cat to the RSPCA on Vernon Street the following morning.

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Speaking to The Bolton News, the mother-of-two said: “They were thinking it might be a cat bite or possibly that he had been hit by a car.

“She rang me back in and an hour and said ‘he’s been shot’. I was like ‘what the hell, he’s been shot?’”

The vet removed the pellet from Blackjack’s leg and prescribed antibiotics all while Faz’s eight-year-old daughter Arissa and nine-year-old Alana anxiously attended school, having asked their mother whether he would die.

Blackjack is now at home recovering.

Faz said: “When she said he’d been shot I was just shocked. It’s where I live as well. I’ve got another cat, I’ve got two young kids.

“My cats don’t really go far, they just stay in the estate like in the back garden or in the back street. He’s quite timid and dingy, he doesn’t really go far anyway.

“My other cat, Humbug, he goes far. I’m scared for him now, in case it happens to him.

“It could be worse, it could have gone in his stomach or one of his organs, he could have died.”

Blackjack's leg was shot (Image: Faz Martin)

She added: “He’s dead jumpy, he’ll only go out in the garden now just to do his business and he’ll come in. He’s scared, every little noise he’s scared. God knows what he went through.

The lifelong Boltonian has no idea who could have shot Blackjack.

Faz has not reported the incident to the police as she does not think the force will find the culprit.

“There’s a park opposite my house, and the kids normally go there but now they’re scared to go; they could be aiming at kids as well now,” Faz said.

She added: “People start off with small things like pigeons, go up to cats and then they go up to humans. They probably get a kick out of it, whoever it is. They’re harmless animals – what can they do?”

Vet bills for Blackjack’s operation came to more than £100 – a difficult pill to swallow amid a cost-of-living crisis.

Faz said the bill has meant her two daughters will now not have new costumes for World Book Day at school.

She said: “I went to the RSPCA because obviously vets are not cheap, are they? If I took him to a private one I’m talking £600-700, so I took him to the RSPCA on Vernon Street.

“That set me back about £108.

“I’m a single parent, as well, I only work part time – I’m £108 worse off now.”

The pellet was extracted by RSPCA vets (Image: Faz Martin)

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “We’re so sorry to hear about yet another incident involving a much-loved pet being mindlessly targeted in this way.

"We hope Blackjack makes a full and speedy recovery from his injuries and we’d urge anyone with information about who is responsible to contact the police.  

“From the reports we receive, we know there are people out there who deliberately target wildlife, pets and farm animals with guns, as well as catapults and crossbows. 

“The consequences of weapons being used on animals are devastating, with severe injuries often leading to death. What we hear about is probably only the tip of the iceberg as not all cases will be reported to us and there may be situations where animals injured and killed by these weapons are sadly never found - especially in the case of wildlife.

“We continue to call for stricter regulations around owning an airgun in both England and Wales. Better education, basic safety training for owners and a thorough explanation of the law could help protect countless animals from these horrible attacks in the future.”

"Anyone caught deliberately using an air gun to injure an animal can face up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act."

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.