WASHBROOK: An outraged cat owner today slammed yobs who blasted her beloved pet with a shotgun.

Miracle moggy Hector somehow survived the sickening attack – but has been left with ten lead pellets embedded inside his body.

Disgusted owner Louise Kelly fumed: “I was so angry at first but now I am just upset. I don’t know the hell he went through that day.”

Three-year-old Hector is only alive because the pellets avoided his major organs.

The vet who treated the black and white cat told Miss Kelly it was a miracle he survived.

The saga began when Hector went missing for around 24 hours, prompting his owner to fear the worst.

When he returned to his Fen View home he appeared to be a little under the weather.

But it was not until the next morning that Miss Kelly noticed he was hobbling around.

“He came in and looked a bit worse for wear,” she said. “But he just curled up.

“The next morning I noticed he wasn’t walking on his back leg.

“I phoned the vets and took him in. I thought he might have been hit by a car.

“I could feel two lumps in his leg.”

Miss Kelly, who owns three cats, was left in a state of shock when X-rays revealed ten lead pellets lodged in Hector’s body.

“The only way he survived is they didn’t hit his organs,” the 43-year-old said.

“The vets said he is a miracle, he should be dead.

“I never imagined someone would have shot him.”

Both the vet and police believe the weapon used was a shotgun.

Miss Kelly said: “My cats mean a lot to me. How many more cats are feared missing and have in fact been shot?

“There is someone out there shooting cats and they must be caught.”

Hector is now recovering from his ordeal at home.

Suffolk police are calling for anyone with information to come forward to help officers with their investigations.

Any witnesses should call Pc Daniel Fisk at Ipswich Response Team on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

n What do you make of the actions of the culprits? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstar letters@eveningstar.co.uk