A PET owner believes her cat used up two of its nine lives when he was shot by an airgun on Halloween.

Gary and Kirsty Wing’s cat Serge went missing on Monday, October 31, and feared the worst by Thursday. They were wondering what to tell their children when Mrs Wing spotted him on Friday, November 4, crawling near their home in Daglass Way, March.

They took Serge to Amical Vets, March, who thought a car had hit the one-year-old feline. Serge suffered a broken elbow from the gunshot and a broken ball joint in his rear leg in the incident and now his muscles keep his rear leg in place.

Mrs Wing said: “We were starting to think that he had been run over, that’s part of having a cat, as accidents happen. Then I saw him whilst returning home and could hear him crying. The sound of his miaow was heartbreaking.

“It would be horrible if this incident has changed him in any way. It was lucky he was a young cat, I don’t know if he would have survived if he was older - he probably used up two of his nine lives.

“The vets were fantastic, they saved his leg and kept us informed all the time.”

Dr Nick Valley treated Serge, he said: “He was in so much pain he couldn’t move, it was really distressing. We thought it was a car accident at first with his injuries but the x-ray showed he was shot.

“It looks like he was shot and whilst trying to escape and the people who did it possibly kicked him.”

Lennon, who named the cat Serge after Zurg from Toy Story, said: “He just hops around now, that’s all.”

Gary Wing said: “It happened on Halloween so it could have been trick or treaters who carried round an airgun with them or someone older but what sort of person could do this type of thing to a cat. Who knows who could do this type of thing.

“This seems to be happening more often, a cat has gone missing in the last few weeks as well, so maybe it’s someone who has a thing against cats.”

It won’t be until early next year when he will be fully recovered allowed outside again.