The owner of a beloved family cat says she is "so disappointed in humanity" after her pet was shot with an airgun.

Adel Kapoli, who lives near Ashford town centre, was preparing to take Max, her two-year-old Ragdoll breed, to the vets for a routine check-up when she noticed a wound on his left rear leg.

She thought the injury "was just a scratch" but when staff at Barrow Hill Veterinary Centre took a closer look, they found an airgun bullet under his fur.

Ms Kapoli, 34, who works at William Harvey Hospital, says she thinks her pet was attacked while out in the Somerset Road and Hardinge Road area.

"When the vet had a closer look, he started digging into Max's wound and found an airgun bullet," Ms Kapoli said.

"You can imagine what I felt when I realised someone from my neighbourhood was intentionally trying to hurt my cat.

“We moved to this place more than a year ago and have never had any problem with this little community of ours. Many of my neighbours have cats and dogs as well.”

Ms Kapoli noticed the injury on Saturday morning and has now told police about the attack.

"Max has a GPS tracker on his collar so I can see where he is, even from my work, and I know where he was exploring on Saturday as well.

"He has a small, usual circular that he loves to explore, and he is not going far away.

"My neighbours can't believe someone would do such an awful thing to this little soul."

Ms Kapoli says Max, who she describes as “so friendly and cuddly”, is recovering well and is now on painkillers.

"I need to keep him indoors – that is the most painful part for him as he loves to be outside," she said.

“I am just so disappointed in humanity.”

A spokesperson for the police said officers were contacted just after 1pm on Saturday, June 1 about the incident.

“Initial inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing,” they said.

Last year, Ashford was named Kent’s catapult crime capital for a fifth year in a row, as the town was plagued with smashed bus shelters and street lights.

Stagecoach was even forced to suspend services after a moving bus carrying passengers had a window blasted out by a suspected slingshot attack.