A PET owner is warning residents in a York suburb to be on their guard after his cat was shot twice with a pellet gun.

Retired railway worker Trev Suter, 57, of Orchard Gardens, in Huntington, said his four-year-old tabby, Don, had been targeted twice in the past two years.

The latest incident left the pet needing major surgery to remove an inch-long pellet from his spine.

Mr Suter said: “Obviously it’s very distressing what has happened to Don, but it could have been me walking to the corner shop for my newspaper and loaf of bread who was hit, or, if it hit a child, this could have blinded them.

“It’s very dangerous and whoever is doing it is a crack shot.

“Don is usually such a placid cat and I knew something was wrong because he’d been unusually tetchy and when I felt along his spine I could tell there was something there.”

Mr Suter said he is on great terms with his neighbours and he is unable to think of any reason why anyone would want to target his cat.

He said: “I think the world of my neighbours and I would think people think of me as a good neighbour, I’ll do anything for anyone and most of my neighbours don’t mind the cat.”

Mr Suter said, last time his cat was shot in the same part of its body, but this time it has done more damage, and has cost £285 in vet’s fees. He hopes his pet will make a full recovery and has reported the matter to the police and RSPCA.

The shooting follows incidents last year, reported by The Press at the time, of birds being shot in and around Orchard Close.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “This an appalling act of cruelty against a defenceless animal which most people will find difficult to comprehend.

“Anyone with any information about the people responsible for shooting Don should contact the police without delay.

“Irresponsible owners of air weapons or replica weapons should bear in mind that if the police are called to reports of a weapon being seen in public, they will be confronted by police officers with real guns.

“Officers treat all such reports as though they involve real weapons until they are satisfied they do not. The consequences of this could be extremely serious.”