Mansfield couple offer £1,000 reward after pet cat is blasted by air rifle yob

Nine-year-old moggy Jack was blasted with the high powered weapon by a cruel yob in Meden Vale, Mansfield, last Tuesday.

The poor puss required extensive surgery at a vets after the pellet entered his body through the stub of his tail.

Owners Mark Sears, 56, and Jan, 70, who have been rehoming cats for over 20 years, say the incident has ‘broken their hearts’.

It comes at a time when Jan is battling incurable peritoneal cancer and Mark fears the worst for her partner if Jack doesn't pull through.

He and a friend are now stumping up £500 each for anyone who can help police catch the gunman.

Mark said: "I can't say what I would like to do really. I want them brought to justice and not to be able to do this.

“To cause this amount of hurt on another person, another family, another child.

“I mean if you're willing to shoot an animal with a gun that powerful, will they shoot a person next?

“Whoever he is I want him stopping and I will put the reward up if I have to. It’s not just the cat, its the amount of harm it has done to my partner.”

Jack underwent an operation and treatment costing thousands of pounds and is now slowly recovering at home.

Jan said: “Our immediate reaction was that he may have been poisoned. I’m just so angry. It’s difficult to say how you feel.

“It shouldn’t happen. That someone was trying to kill Jack was just disgusting. It’s incomprehensible. His welfare is the most important. It’s something you just don’t do. It seems intentional.”

Inspector Nick Butler, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We will be doing everything we can to identify the person responsible and bring them to justice. If anyone has any information please let us know.”

Anyone with any information should call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 208 of February 12.