A HAMPSHIRE councillor and his family have been left devastated after one of their pet cats was shot and fatally wounded.

Cllr David Rice-Mundy, the deputy mayor of New Milton, is warning other pet lovers to be vigilant following the death of 10-year-old Polly.

The timid tabby was shot with an air rifle and died despite an emergency operation that went on until the early hours.

Cllr Rice-Mundy, 48, said: “The cat came home and went upstairs to the airing cupboard, where she normally sleeps during the day.

“When she didn’t come down at teatime I went upstairs and found her lying on the floor. She was panting and there was obviously something majorly wrong.”

Polly was rushed to Forest Lodge Vets, where Janine Redman removed a pellet that had ruptured the animal’s spleen.

Cllr Rice-Mundy said: “She’d warned me that the operation and associated aftercare could cost £2,000 but I told her to go ahead anyway.

“At 2am she told me Polly had survived the operation but six hours later I got another call saying she’d died during the night.

“I was devastated and so were my children. My oldest daughter is 22 but she was beside myself.

“I’ve got several cats and Polly was my favourite. She was a gentle, timid creature who was very friendly and would follow you around in the garden.

“Shooting an animal with an air rifle - especially a family pet - is a terrible thing to do.

“If anyone knows someone who goes around shooting cats they should call the police to prevent another family going through what we’ve been through.”

Polly’s death is the latest in a series of incidents involving pets being shot in Hampshire.

A pregnant cat called Lana was found bleeding last November after being shot in the leg near her home in Yateley. Both Lana and her unborn kittens survived.

The previous month three-year-old Slim Shady was shot with an air pistol but managed to return to her home at Kipling Road, Eastleigh.

She later underwent an operation to remove a pellet that was lodged next to her spine.As reported in the Daily Echo, the RSPCA is calling for tighter controls on air rifle ownership and wants all buyers to receive basic safety training before leaving the shop. 

Anyone found guilty of using an air weapon to injure an animal can face up to six months in prison and/or a £20,000 fine.