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Deal: Cat owner Gina Douglas warns others after ginger puss Kevin shot dead

A cat owner is warning others after she discovered her pet shot dead by what is believed to be an air rifle in Deal.

Gina Douglas found her three-year-old rescue cat Kevin with a single bullet through his head in the fields behind her home off Church Lane, on Sunday evening.

She has described those responsible as “callous, sick individuals” with the RSPCA calling it a “horrific attack”.

Three-year-old Kevin was found shot dead in a field behind his home in Deal
Three-year-old Kevin was found shot dead in a field behind his home in Deal

The mum-of-two is now appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact the police.

She said: “As a family we’re devastated. He was such a loving, affectionate cat and we loved him to bits.

“He had been sleeping behind our back fence in the fields. It appears that he was asleep and somebody’s walked past and shot him at point blank range in the head.”

She continued: “I would encourage anyone that knows anything to report it to the police. There is very little to go on which is sad but the aim is to warn others that these people are in our midst.

“If they’re prepared to do that to a cat, what are they capable of doing next? I dread to think.”

Kevin was found dead with a bullet in his head
Kevin was found dead with a bullet in his head

Mrs Douglas rescued the feline from a cat rescue in Shepherdswell in 2015.

She said: “He’d had a bad start in life and he came to us and we gave him a happy home.

“He came into our lives at a sad time and he needed us just as much as we needed him.”

He was friendly and affectionate with a slight jaw deformity which meant his tongue would stick out.

“It was quite endearing,” she said.

“If they’re prepared to do that to a cat, what are they capable of doing next?" - Kevin's owner Gina Douglas

It had taken the ginger puss a year to build up the confidence to go out into the garden and over the fence. In recent months, since the family had brought in a kitten, he had created an area of solitude there where he would sleep.

Mrs Douglas said they last saw him at about 11am on Sunday morning and when he didn’t return home to the smell of roast chicken they started to worry.

They discovered him at about 8.30pm before calling the police and RSPCA.

Mrs Douglas has since delivered warning leaflets to nearby homes. She says she is scared to let her other cat out of her sight.

A RSPCA spokesperson said: “This was a horrific attack on a poor cat which has left the owner understandably shocked and devastated.

“We would urge owners in the area to remain vigilant and for anyone with information to contact our appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and reference inspector Claire Carter.

Kevin's owner Gina Douglas has called those responsible "callous, sick individuals"
Kevin's owner Gina Douglas has called those responsible "callous, sick individuals"

“It is very distressing to think that people take pleasure in causing such horrific injuries to defenceless animals. These are deliberate and brutal acts of cruelty.

“Cats and wildlife are normally the animals that are more susceptible to these incidents simply because they are out in the open with no one to protect them. Unfortunately, air rifle attacks are not as rare as we would like and the injuries caused by such attacks are horrific and often fatal.

“We are supporting Cat’s Protection’s call for tighter controls on air weapons. This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun could help relieve the problem.

“These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering and it is illegal. Anyone caught deliberately using an air gun to injure an animal can get up to six months in prison and/or a £20,000 fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act.”

A police spokesman said: “We received a report that a cat had died in fields in Deal, after suffering a wound to the head between 11am and 8.30pm on Sunday, June 11 2017."

Anyone with information is urged to call 01843 222289 quoting reference ZY/024546/17.

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