Reward offered to find cat shooter
Paige Keir and Luther the cat which was shot in the shoulder
A reward has been offered to find whoever is responsible for shooting cats in Amble. A series of attacks have been made, but so far police have been unable to trace those responsible.
Lindsay Keir of St Lawrence Avenue has now offered a £200 reward for information leading to a successful prosecution. Lindsay’s daughter Paige told The Ambler that the family were horrified at the cruel acts on four of their cats.
“My mum has fostered cats for about two and a half years. They’ve all come from difficult, sometimes abusive lives. We try to give them a peaceful life until new homes can be found. Knowing there’s someone with an airgun out there shooting animals, is horrible. A person could be hurt. We want to feel safe in our neighbourhood.”
The first incident took place at Christmas 2016 when one of the cats was fatally injured by an air rifle pellet. Two months later another cat was shot between the eyes, and survived.
Two attacks have taken place this year; the most recent at the beginning of September.“It was early evening, my mum was in the garden and she heard a shot. Then the cat came running in and we could see it was injured,” said Paige.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At 7.54pm on Wednesday (September 12), police received a report that a cat had been injured at an address on St Lawrence Avenue in Amble. It is understood that the cat’s injury was consistent with a pellet wound.
“Anyone with information about this incident, or who knows those responsible, is encouraged to contact police by calling 101 quoting reference 1062 12/09/18.”
Paige said, “We can understand that not everyone likes cats, but if anyone in the area has issues with them, please come and talk to us. Attacking them like this is totally unacceptable.
“We must have spent over £1,000 on vet bills. We’ve informed the police and the RSPCA, but they don’t know who is doing this. That is why we’ve decided to offer a reward.”
Paige can be contacted on 07492 728166 or paigekeir@hotmail.com
Anna Williams
