Police probing the death of a cat which was shot in an Aberdeenshire village believe a female dog-walker could provide important evidence.
The woman spotted the wounded pet in Fettercairn, but the police only became involved after its owners took it to the vet and discovered its injuries had been inflicted by a shotgun blast.
Officers investigating the crime yesterday appealed for the woman to contact the force to tell them more by calling 101.
And they issued a plea for anyone else with information which may be relevant to get in touch.
The dog walker initially thought the cat had been struck by a car, so severely was it hurt.
Anyone who can help the inquiry should quote incident number CF024600091 when calling the police.
