A CAT has been left blind in one eye after it was shot with a pellet gun.

Pensioners Tony and Marion Clark, both 77, of Frog Lane, Milton-under-Wychwood, were shocked when their pet Winstone came home with blood dripping down his face at about 6pm last Tuesday.

Thinking the cat had been hit by a car, Mr Clark, who is registered blind and Mrs Clark, a retired nurse who is disabled with a spinal problem, took him to the vets that night.

An X-ray revealed that a pellet had gone through Winstone’s eye and was lodged in his head.

As the cat is six years old and never strays far from home, the couple think the incident must have happened nearby.

Mr Clark said: “Winstone came in running.

“He was wailing his head off and there was blood streaming down his face. We thought he had been hit by a car.

“We took him to the vets and they found out his heart rate was high and he was obviously in shock.

“The vet did what he could that night and we took him home.

“They took him in the next day, found the pellet and said the eye was dead and he had to go to a specialist hospital in Bristol. We couldn’t sleep for two nights.

“There is somebody running around the streets with a gun in his hand. Everyone I have spoken to in the area is appalled that a cat has been shot in our village.”

Mr and Mrs Clark got Winstone from a rescue centre along with his brother, Milton.

Mr Clark added: “I spoke to the police and they have said they can’t do anything unless we have seen somebody with a firearm in his hand. I phoned the RSPCA but they said they can’t do anything unless I know who it is.

“The vets have to wait until the swelling goes down. They can see the pellet in the head and they can’t do an operation until next week to see if they can get it out.

“The surgeon in Bristol was fantastic and they reckon they might be able to save the cat’s life.

“They have to decide whether the eye comes out and then decide whether they can take out the pellet.

“But we are talking about thousands of pounds of vet bills all because of some idiot with a pellet gun.”

RSPCA spokesman Jo Barr said: “We do not have the resources to do door-to-door inquiries. However, we would urge anyone with any information about this incident to please come forward.”

l The latest incident comes after a pet cat died after being shot with a pellet gun in Didcot on September 20.

Black-and-white Milo returned severely injured to his owner’s home in Churchill Road, between 5pm and 10.30pm, and was taken to the vet, but died of severe internal injuries.