A CAT lover is warning fellow pet owners following the death of her cat after he was shot by mindless thugs.

The six-year-old tomcat, Toby, died after his owner, Michelle Campbell took him to the vet yesterday.

Michelle said the ginger cat who was adored by her two children, Kirsty, aged nine and Ian, 11, had been out on Tuesday morning but returned to their home in Jethro Street, Tonge Fold.

She contacted the emergency vet on Tuesday when Toby was violently sick and took him to a nearby surgery yesterday morning. The vet discovered a wound and an X-ray revealed an air pellet in the cat's abdomen.

Mrs Campbell, who has four other cats, says she fears for the safety of her other animals and wants to warn fellow pet owners in the area to be on their guard.

She said: "How anyone could do this sort of thing is beyond me. It looks as though it was done by mindless morons who were using him for target practice."

She said police have been informed about the incident and are investigating.

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