An animal lover is warning other pet owners to be on their guard after his beloved moggy was shot in the head.

Leo Morgan's cat was left with a pellet in his head after he was shot by someone armed with an air rifle in the Valley Drive area of Gravesend on Tuesday.

Mr Morgan, who has owned his cat Ginger, for the past year-and-a-half, was horrified to discover the pet has been shot a close range.

Luckily the pellet didn't penetrate his skull but ricocheted off it and embedded itself in the muscle of the back of his neck.

Mr Morgan, 31, said: "He had been out early in the morning, it was abut 8.30am and he came running in and it looked like he'd had the fright of his life.

"My dad and I checked him over and we could see he had a circular type wound to the top of his head and my dad felt his neck and could feel the pellet.

"He just laid on the bed and tried to go to sleep and didn't move so we took him to the vet.

"The vet was disgusted about what had happened and was able to remove the pellet which was flattened by the impact.

"Ginger is lucky to be alive as the pellet never penetrated his skull. The vet said he'd not heard of cases brought in from the area.

After the operation Ginger, who is two, was able to come home in the evening and looks set to make a full recovery.

Mr Morgan, who works as a carer for the elderly and also owns another cat, said: "It happened near Taunton Vale area and there are lots of cats around here.

"I want to warn fellow cat owners to be on their guard as there are some cruel people out there.

"We are now cautious to let him out and have changed the times we are and are taking him out on a lead as he loves the outside.

"I am sad and angry about what happened. How can someone shoot a defenceless animal like that at close range.

"It is disgusting to hurt an animal in such a way."