A man has been charged for shooting a Siamese cat in Speyside.
The 57-year-old, from the Glenallachie area, near Aberlour, has been reported to the procurator fiscal on charges of shooting a domestic animal and causing it unnecessary suffering.
The alleged incident happened on November 16 – less than a fortnight after a similar shooting in Dufftown.
In that incident, a tabby cat was so badly injured he had to have his leg amputated.
Spartacus was rushed to the vet after he returned home to owner Ashleigh Paterson, limping badly and with his front paw hanging off.
However, police last night confirmed the two incidents were not linked – but vowed to continue investigating who hurt Spartacus.
A spokesman said: “The shooting of the Siamese cat and the shooting of Spartacus were unrelated incidents.
“Our inquiry teams are aware of both cases and are still conducting investigations into the incident involving Spartacus.”
At first, 22-year-old hairdresser Miss Paterson thought her pet had been hit by a car, and it was only when she rushed him to a nearby vet that the true cause of his injuries became apparent.
It emerged that Spartacus’s leg had been so badly damaged that it had to be amputated, and the wounded feline was also found to have 11 pellets in his head.
Last night Miss Paterson said the cat was on the mend, although staying close to home.
And she said she could not understand why anyone would choose to harm a cat in such a way.
“Spartacus still has days where he doesn’t appear to be as confident as he used to be, and he won’t go beyond the garden when he’s outside anymore,” she said.
“But he is getting on well really, and most of the time he seems back to his old self.
“He’s is able to move about just as well as he did before.”
Miss Paterson added: “I have friends who don’t like cats, and I can understand that, but I just can’t get my head around the idea of people going out to deliberately harm them.
“I don’t understand anyone who would do that.”