An 18-month-old cat needed major surgery after being shot.

Owner Kelly Smith realised there was a problem on Sunday evening when ginger and white Binny returned home from a day out on the Lovell Road estate in Minster where he lives.

"With every movement he was crying out with pain," said Mrs Smith, 30, who is head veterinary nurse at Abbey Veterinary Surgery in Minster Road, Halfway.

"I checked him over and could feel something in his abdomen, but because he can be a bit of a scavenger I thought it might be a bone."

Mrs Smith took the moggie to work with her on Monday morning where an X-ray revealed an airgun pellet.

It had entered through his lower abdomen, hit his intestines in four different places, penetrated his liver and caused a rupture in his diaphragm before becoming lodged in his thorax.

Vet Martin Routledge operated on Binny, assisted by Mrs Smith, but decided not to remove the pellet at that stage because of its location and possible complications after what was an already major operation.

As well as being on strong pain relief, Binny is also on antibiotics because of peritonitis caused by the liver puncture.

Mother-of-one Mrs Smith estimates the treatment will cost about £1,500.

She said the pellet missed Binny's gall bladder by just millimetres. Had it hit there, Binny could have died, she added.

"These pellets are dangerous things. It's awful to see the damage they can cause," she said.

"Whoever did this should stop and think about the effects."

Mrs Smith branded whoever was responsible "sick" and said: "I can't understand the mentality of some people."

She believes it is unlikely to have been an accident and said because of Binny's injuries it seems to have been a relatively close-range shot.

Mrs Smith, who has two older cats Dave and Smurf, is urging other cat owners in the area to be on their guard.

• The incident has been reported to police who are investigating. Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.