Concern is mounting after the shooting of a second cat in St Neots.

The Clarke family, of Eaton Ford, were shocked to discover a bullet lodged in their one-year-old pet cat Bobbie’s neck last Monday (December 2).

They believe that he had been shot the previous weekend, but had shown few clear symptoms of being wounded.

Simon Clarke, 43, said: “I think it was in there for a couple of days – my wife noticed that there was some pinky gunge on the side of his neck, but we thought it was just some sort of food.

“When he was having a bit of a fuss we could feel this lump on his neck - on closer inspection we could feel the bullet.”

Fortunately they were able to remove the pellet as it had not penetrated deep into Bobbie’s skin.

He added: “If it was just a centimetre in a different place he would have probably been killed by it. He is very very lucky.”

“Fortunately he got away lightly this time – it’s shocking. Someone needs to get a conscience and stop doing it. If someone is shooting in back gardens or parks then someone must have seen it.

“My biggest fear is that if someone is shooting animals, then how long before they shoot other people?”

This follows the shooting of Candy, a pet cat from Eaton Socon on November 25.

She was found collapsed and covered in blood on her front doorstep in Monarch Road after being shot in her spine and abdomen.

Candy was in a critical condition but is now on the road to recovery.

Veterinary staff at Wood Green, the Animals Charity where she was taken, have spent the last week keeping Candy comfortable, monitoring her and administering pain relief.

She is now able to walk and play for short periods at a time, but due to the position of the pellets it is unlikely they will be removed.

Head of Animal Welfare Linda Cantle said: “Despite being in terrible pain, Candy has proven to be a little fighter and is slowly starting to bounce back.”

David Fennell, director at Cromwell Veterinary Group, said: “We do get these cases from time to time unfortunately. Sometimes we get an animal in for an X-ray for something else and we find pellets in the animal and the owner has no clue that they have been shot as they are not necessarily suffering any symptoms from it. In some of those cases it can be life threatening or fatal depending on where the pellets go.”

Alex Howell, veterinary nurse at Church House Veterinary Clinic in St Neots, said that a cat had been shot in a similar incident in the Buckden area about a year ago. The cat then had to have its leg amputated before being rehomed.

INFORMATION: Anyone with any information should call the RSPCA Inspector Information Line on 0300 123 8018.