Family forced to part with much-loved pet.

RIFLE-wielding thugs have left a Honiton family heartbroken after shooting their cat with pellets on two separate occasions.

The attacks have left them with no choice but to rehome the pet.

Thor Lipscomb, his partner Jo Chapfield and sons Tom and Alfie, who live in St Leonards Road, were forced to make the decision after their beloved, long-furred ginger cat, Tilly, was shot with an air riffle on Sunday, June 4.

Tilly, who belongs to six-year-old Tom, had to undergo surgery after a pellet pierced her stomach and small intestine, and she is currently on antibiotics.

This is the second time the four-and-a-half year old cat has been the target of such an attack.

She was previously shot at close range around 14 months ago, leaving her with a shattered leg, which had to be amputated,

“I just can’t see how anybody can do that to an animal,” said Jo, who works at the Playdome on the Heathpark Industrial Estate.

“How can you explain to a six-year-old why someone has done that to their pet and that we are going to have to rehome her?”

“We felt we had no choice, as she wouldn’t want to be locked in the house and we wouldn’t have been able to let her out again.

“We have to rehome her, because it isn’t safe for her here anymore. She is part of our family and it has meant that a little boy’s pet has now got to be taken away,” she added.

The family, who have had Tilly since she was a kitten, took her to animal welfare charity The Blue Cross on Sunday, from where she will be rehomed.

Computer technician Thor said: “I don’t know why she has been targeted. We don’t know if she was unlucky the first time or if it is the same person who saw her again and maybe thought she was an easy target because she has only got three legs.

“I just think it is disgusting - how can anyone do that to a family pet?

“It is also a worry for kids who are in the area. Next time it might not be an animal, it could be a child.”

Jo added: “They don’t think about our feelings and the affect it has on the family.”

In addition to the upset it has caused, the family has had to fork out nearly �1,000 in vets bills, with the latest attack costing around �436.

It is early days, but Tilly is making a recovery from her latest ordeal and the family is urging anyone with information to come forward and contact the police.

PCSO Sue Rowe said: “This is a disgusting act and it is your duty as good citizens to let the police know if you have any information.”

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 08452 777444, quoting crime reference KH/11/371.