The RSPCA is urging cat owners to be extra vigilant after new figures show the pets are increasingly being targeted with air guns.
Last year, there was a a 30% increase in reported airgun attacks on cats, with 70 incidents flagged to the RSPCA compared to 54 in 2023, according to the animal charity.
It said there was a “worrying upward trend” of cats being also being attacked with other weapons, including catapults and crossbows.
Across the South East, between 2022 and 2024, there were 51 attacks using air guns, catapults and crossbows on all types of animals, with the highest number in the country in Kent, with 32 incidents.
In the same period, there were nine reported attacks in Surrey, seven in West Sussex, and three in East Sussex. In Greater London, there were 31 reported attacks.
‘Pain and suffering’
RSPCA wildlife partnerships manager Geoff Edmond said: “Weapon attacks on animals are horrific, but what we see is likely only the tip of the iceberg.
“It is unspeakably cruel and totally unacceptable to shoot animals for fun – or to harm them for target practice.
“These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering.”
One incident reported to the charity was of a moorhen and a goose, which died after being shot with ball bearings from catapults in Greenhithe, Kent, in April.
The moorhen was found dead with severe wounds, while the goose also had serious injuries and had to be put to sleep, it added.The charity has released the figures to raise awareness of its summer cruelty appeal, as it said attacks on animals are reported more at this time of year than any other.
It said it also welcomed Kent Police’s catapult crackdown initiative, to tackle the use of catapults to harm people and wildlife or cause criminal damage.