Cat 'Shot Through Head With Crossbow' Dies

A cat which suffered horrific injuries when it was shot between the eyes with a weapon thought to have been a crossbow has been put down.

Matt Woolass' black and white cat Tash lost her sight and was unable to open her jaw after she was speared in Calverton, Nottingham.

Neighbours found the animal with her collar ripped off but recognised her and returned her to her owner.

There was no sign of the bolt she is thought to have been shot with, suggesting her attackers removed it before leaving her for dead.

Mr Woolass made an emergency appointment with a local vet and rushed Tash in for treatment.

"She couldn't see a thing or open her jaw," the 27-year-old college lecturer told Sky News.

"The vet said she'd have no quality of life, so we had to have her put down.

"We initially thought she'd been shot with an air rifle but the vet did an autopsy and couldn't find any sign of a pellet."

He added: "It's absolutely disgusting and the fact she survived the attack itself makes it even worse.

"I could accept it if she'd been hit by a car but to think someone's done this deliberately makes me absolutely livid."

Mr Woolass, who lives with his girlfriend and had had Tash for nearly five years, said he is now scared to let his other cat leave the house.

He said Nottinghamshire Police and the RSPCA had been "brilliant" but launched his own appeal for information on social media, fearing the person responsible may never been caught.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA described the incident, which happened on Bank Holiday Monday, as "truly shocking".

She urged anyone with information to contact the animal charity's appeals line on 0300 123 8018.