A DISTRAUGHT owner is appealing for witnesses after her cat, Harry, was shot with an air rifle last week.

Zoe Holmes, of Alverstone Road, Whippingham, said she first noticed something was wrong when her cat returned home last Friday — and after taking him to a vet they discovered an air rifle pellet lodged in his back.

She said: "It's really upsetting, because had they shot him in the head, or the chest, we could have lost him."

Following an operation to remove the pellet, Harry the cat is expected to make a full recovery.

His owners have now fixed his collar with a cat-cam and a video link that tracks his location.

A £500 cash reward is being offered to anyone who can give direct information that leads to a conviction or fine.

"We will not rest until the perpetrator is held accountable by the law and publicly named," said Zoe.

Hampshire police confirmed the cat had been shot at some point between Wednesday November 29 and Friday December 1.

They could not confirm if the attack had been deliberate and said there had been no other reports of similar incidents in the area.