Shot cat loses leg

INJURED PET: Bruce Haussman’s cat Mr Squiddles, pictured, has been the victim of random gunshots which his owner says were fired from a passing vehicle.

A Ruawai farmer says shots he and his farmhand heard being fired seriously injured his pet cat.

The cat called Mr Squiddles was found four days after the shooting quivering under the farm house.

Organic pig farmer Bruce Haussman says the bullet shattered bones in Mr Squiddles’ leg leaving it to just dangle.

"It had to be amputated."

Mr Haussman whose property is located on Rehia Rd in Ruawai, says he and farmhand Andrew Hamilton heard five shots.

"It sounded like a semi-automatic."

The shooting took place about 10.30pm on Sunday, November 1, and the pair say they saw a car drive past with a number of people in it.

Mr Haussman says he wants to draw attention to the stupid act of shooting randomly at people’s houses.

"It could have been a person who was shot," says Mr Hamilton who is from Tennessee in the United States.

"I want them to stop and think twice before they do that again," he says.

"He’s a nice old cat and we also want to point out to people that not all cats are feral."

Apart from the stress of the incident, Mr Haussman has a $600 bill for having Mr Squiggles’ leg amputated.

- © Fairfax NZ News