A brave puss wouldn’t abandon her five tiny kittens, despite being the victim of a callous air gun attack.

Stray cat Leoni was taken in by Cats Protection’s Skegness and District Branch in July after being found with her five tiny kittens in a garden in Croft Bank.

A vet check revealed that the 18-month-old moggy had two air gun pellets lodged inside her – one behind her ear and another in her neck.

Volunteer Fiona Smith said: “Poor Leoni must have been in agony for some time from her injuries, yet still she was caring for her five young kittens.

“At 18-months-old she’s barely an adult herself yet in her short life she has been attcked with an air gun, fended for herself as a stray and reared five kittens. And after all that, she’s the friendliest cat I’ve probably ever come across.

“The vet noticed something wasn’t right because she felt a bump behind her ear and an x-ray and that’s when she saw the pellets. It was such a shock to hear that somebody had done something so cruel to her.”

Leoni needed surgery to remove them to prevent future complications, due to the location of the pellets. The branch has now launched a fundraising appeal to help with the £200 cost of her treatment.

To support the work of Cats Protection’s Skegness and District Branch, donate at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/summerappeal2021-skegnessspilsbyandalfordbranch

Fiona said: “Leoni is a delightful cat and we’re so pleased she was discovered and we could get her the help she needed. Along with surgery to remove the pellets, she’s also now been neutered and her future looks much brighter.”

Leoni has been rehomed with one of her kittens, Leonard, while her other four kittens have also gone to new homes.

Sadly, Leonie’s story is not a one-off with many cats attacked by air guns every year, often sustaining life-changing or fatal injuries. Although official figures are not collected, Cats Protection’s monitoring of media reports shows that in 2020 there were over 100 reported cases of horrific air gun attacks on cats.