Since moving into her new home in Bournemouth with owners Margaret and Geoff Cummings, Nora has settled well but does show signs of the trauma of her ordeal.

Margaret explains: “Nora is such a brave, affectionate and beautiful cat although she has had such a horrific thing happen to her. She loves people but is still very anxious and nervous around loud and unexpected sounds or movements.

“Each day Nora’s with us she’s becoming more confident and loving. I’d like to thank Cats Protection for all the love and care they have given Nora. Due to their sensitivity Nora still likes being around people, and we are fortunate enough to benefit as we have gained a lovely cat.”

Cats Protection has long-campaigned for air guns to be licensed in England and Wales to bring both countries in line with licensing that already exists in Northern Ireland and Scotland where laws restricting air gun ownership have been in place since 2004 and 2017 respectively.

Cats Protection’s monitoring of press reports shows that in the past five years, there were over 400 cases in which cats in the UK were reported in the media as having been shot with an air gun. With no official data available, this figure is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. 

Jade Emery-Temprano, Campaigns and Advocacy Officer says: “Anyone over 18 can currently buy and own an air gun without any checks or legal repercussions because these lethal weapons are unlicensed in England and Wales. We are calling for both countries to follow the example of Scotland and Northern Ireland, to ensure our pets are protected across the UK.