Four in 10 vets see cats with airgun injuries
Cats Protection is today launching its Manifesto for Cats, which calls for tighter airgun rules.
Veterinary and welfare organisations are calling for tighter rules on airguns as it is revealed that four in 10 vets saw cats with airgun injuries last year.
In the BVA's Voice of the Veterinary Professions Survey, 41 per cent of vets said they had seen these types of injuries in the past 12 months, with many of the cats seriously injured or dying as a result. In addition, 1 per cent said they had seen cats with crossbow injuries.
Wounds included fractured limbs requiring amputation and eye injuries resulting in enucleation (removal of the eye).
A number of vets said there was an increase in the number of cats presented with airgun injuries during the school summer holidays, suggesting the main perpetrators are children and young people.
One vet said: "The majority are clearly inflicted by low-powered airguns at close range. This suggests children who have been given airguns and are looking for something to shoot.
"One answer is to encourage and promote shooting by young people in clubs and on ranges where they can be educated in a culture of safe use, the pursuit of accuracy and the notion of responsibility."
Some vets, however wanted a more stringent approach. One vet who had seen several serious airgun injuries said: "Airguns should be banned. Full stop."
Commenting, BVA president John Blackwell, said: "These findings are distressing for both owners and vets. The frustration of many BVA members who work in small animal practice is clear.
"Anyone using an airgun, whether they are an adult or child, should be aware of the very serious injuries these weapons inflict and parents should act responsibly when allowing any young person to use or possess an airgun."
The BVA is calling for the police and local authorities to ask parents to consider the consequences of allowing their child to use a weapon that can kill or injure both pets and people.
Cats Protection is today launching its Manifesto for Cats in the House of Commons. Among other measures, it calls for stricter rules on airgun licensing.
The charity's advocacy manager Jacqui Cuff said: "We know from our own monitoring of the press last year that nearly five cats a week were reported to have been killed or injured by airguns in the UK – and this is likely to be an underestimate.
"We also held a three-month consultation to determine what members of the public felt were the most important issues for cat welfare and 98 per cent of those surveyed agreed this is one of them - which is why we’re including this important topic in our Cat Manifesto."
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
