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Great Snoring family left with £3,500 worth of vets’ bills after cat was injured by ‘kill shot’




A family are warning residents of people taking “kill shots” at pets after their cat was injured by a bullet a few weeks ago.

In early October, two-year-old cat Jagger returned home to Maya and Simon Starr’s property in Great Snoring, near Fakenham, having been missing for more than 24 hours.

She described how she had a panic attack due to her anxiety disorder which meant Simon had to take over.

Jagger resting
Jagger resting

Jagger arrived home at 10pm on Sunday, October 6 in significant pain - so Simon rushed him to the vet.

Initially, Simon felt angry about the incident and protective of Jagger, however now that a few weeks have passed, feelings have changed.

Maya is now more concerned for the person who shot Jagger as she said: “Someone who commits an act of cruelty against an animal must have something else going on in their life and probably need support of some type.”

Otterly (Jaggers sister) and Jagger
Otterly (Jaggers sister) and Jagger

Maya suspects that what happened to Jagger was a deliberate act due to the high grade of the bullet used, which was believed to have either come from an air rifle or a gun that you would need a gun licence for.

Due to the fact that Jagger is a black cat with a ‘wary’ personality and was probably in an area of tall grass, Maya believes that the shot was taken from a distance.

She posted on Facebook to alert other pet owners about the incident.

Maya said: “We are sending out a supportive message to be aware that an individual or a group of people are operating illegally within the Great Snoring, Thorpland Road, possibly a much wider area; who are using gun(s) and taking ‘kill shots’ at domestic pets.

The bullet that shot Jagger
The bullet that shot Jagger

“We are due to meet with the Norfolk Police tomorrow and we have asked that other police localities are made aware. The vet has removed the bullet from the animal and this will be handed over to the police.

“Obviously we shall act in accordance to the law. However, we have a lot of time and a significant amount of resources to track down this illegal activity.

“With a vet bill rising, now just short of £3,000, we as a united family are taking every methodical step we can to track down the perpetrator(s) to help protect others in our community or wider areas.

“Thank you. The Starr family.”

The family have received lots of support both from the police and the local gamekeeper.

They reported the incident to the police on Monday, October 7 and met with officers on Wednesday, October 9.

A spokesperson for Norfolk Police said: “All lines of enquiry have been exhausted and the case has been closed.

“Of course, we would always review any new information provided to us.”

When Maya informed the police, she was pleasantly surprised by the way in which they handled the case due to her thinking that they would “just give me the number for a crime line”.

Two officers arrived to take a full statement as well as a photo of the bullet.

Maya would like justice to be served, but she understands “how difficult it is to track someone down” due to it being such a long timeframe that Jagger was missing.

Since the incident, the owners said that the cat has been more wary of going out and hiding away from “the scary Amazon delivery man”.

Jagger’s vet bills were in excess of £3,500 so Maya said that she was relieved that they had insurance to cover the majority of the vets’ bills.

Jagger is now recovering well, he is in no pain and is undergoing different physical therapies to aid his recovery further.

Reporting by Phoebe Cornell



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