Rescuers 'shocked' to discover abandoned cat found in Sheffield had been shot

Volunteers at a Sheffield-based cat rescue service were ‘shocked’ to discover that one of the cats they were looking after had been shot.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Lauren James-Thompson, who runs Cat-CHING Rescue, made the discovery after taking short-haired tortoise shell cat Looie to the vets to be neutered, as she had been pregnant when they first found her in May.

The woman who had been fostering Looie while she was pregnant had discovered that she had a lump in her leg, and so Lauren asked Highfield Vets to check on that, too.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After Looie’s operation was complete, Lauren was told that the cat had been shot and was handed the pellet that was taken out of her leg.

Looie the catLooie the cat
Looie the cat

"We were really shocked,” Lauren said. “We keep just thinking about it and wondering ‘who would shoot out Looie?!’.

"We pick up a lot of cats that are neglected or abandoned, but it is rare that we see direct cruelty like this.

"The wound was quite old, and most of her discomfort was due to her being pregnant. So we think she must have been shot when she was younger.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"She is okay now, and I’m really pleased that the vets did such a good job of looking after her.

This was taken out of Looie's legThis was taken out of Looie's leg
This was taken out of Looie's leg

"She is really lucky that her injuries didn’t cause her any more damage.”

Lauren said that they found Looie abandoned on Holgate Avenue in S5. She had been abandoned by an owner who appeared to have moved away.

Looie, who is estimated to be two-years-old, needs ten days to recover from her operation, and then she will be put up for adoption along with her litter of kittens.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cat-CHING Rescue is a Sheffield-based not-for-profit rescue centre that is run voluntarily by Lauren and her friend Jasmine.

The pellet that was taken from Looie's leg.The pellet that was taken from Looie's leg.
The pellet that was taken from Looie's leg.

They have currently got more than 75 cats in their care. They run a network of foster homes so that every cat can be cared for in an individual household.

If you would like to get in touch to adopt a cat, you can do so trough their Facebook page here.