Binny, the ginger and white cat who suffered major injuries after being shot, is on the mend.

Owner Kelly Smith, of Lovell Road, Minster, discovered a pellet lodged inside the 18-month-old moggie when she took him into Abbey Veterinary Surgery in Minster Road, Halfway, where she is head nurse.

Mrs Smith first realised there was a problem on Sunday, January 3, when Binny returned home from a day out and was not himself.

A quick examination revealed a foreign object, but it wasn’t until Mrs Smith X-rayed Binny that she found it was a pellet.

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

Binny needed a major operation to repair the damage caused, but vet Martin Routledge decided to leave the pellet where it was because of its position and possible further complications if it was removed.

Mrs Smith said: “It’s taken a whole week to see the improvement. He’s finally eating properly with no vomiting.

“The wound is healing well but the stitches need to stay in for another week.

"It took a little while for him to start walking properly again as his wound runs pelvis to sternum.”

Binny will be X-rayed again in three to four weeks’ time to see if the pellet has moved.

“If not, we’ll leave it, if it has then we might be looking at a referral to a thoracic surgery specialist as it’s quite a job,” added Mrs Smith.

• The Island Neighbourhood Team have been made aware of the incident and anyone with information is asked to contact them on 01795 584165.