Police are investgating after two cats were shot with an air rifle in Buckie.
Both cats were injured in the separate incidents, and required surgery to remove the bullets.
The culprit shot the animals in adjacent streets overlooking the town’s harbour, and both incidents happened within the last three weeks.
Edward Pattinson and his partner Nicola Chafer, of Linn Avenue, feared the worst when they their 16-month-old pet, Blue, returned home trailing spots of blood spots last Sunday.
Upon closer inspection, Mr Pattinson discovered a perfectly-round wound on the Maine Coon’s lower back, and a visit to the vet confirmed he had been shot with an air rifle.
Mr Pattinson said: “It’s upsetting and disturbing because it’s a really quiet neighbourhood. We never have any trouble here.
It’s the last place you would expect someone to have an air rifle.
“If someone was concerned about a cat being in their garden, you would think they would just use a hose or pour water on it to get rid of it.
“We want anyone who knows anything about this to get in touch with the police, or, even if it just makes whoever did this think twice about doing it again or get rid of their firearm that would be something.”
Ms Chafer added: “My first thought was Blue had been in a fight with another cat or something. He is really gentle and never moans about anything, so we brushed if off initially. But, we were shocked when we found the bullet wound.
“He is a part of our family. If the police found out who did this we will definitely be taking this further because you don’t know how far this is going to go — the next time a cat could well end up dead.”
Two weeks earlier, on August 10, Lillian Grant – who stays on nearby Cliff Terrace – was concerned to find her seven-year-old Serengeti cat, Mandu, severely limping after he came home late at night.
She said: “He still has a limp and swelling on his front left paw.
“He didn’t come back until 10.30pm that night which was strange.
“It’s shocking to think how anyone could do this to an animal.”
Constable Steve Borzoni, who is investigating the incident, said: “We are keen to speak to anyone who may have information on these incidents or any cat owners whose pet has had an unexplained injury in the last couple of months.”
Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.