A CAT is lucky to be alive after being hit by 50 shotgun pellets.

Following Rosie’s emergency operations, owner Tracy Homan is now nursing her pet back to health.

The cat came home severely injured last Thursday morning after being shot overnight.

Mrs Homan, of Bellmangate, Guisborough, east Cleveland, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. She was covered in blood and dragging her back legs along the floor.

“The vet removed about 20 of the pellets, but the others are so embedded, we were told removing them would cause more harm than good.”

Vets spent three days treating injuries to Rosie’s legs, stomach, back and head.

Ms Homan, 39, said: “When the vet told us what had happened to her we couldn’t believe it. The whole family is upset. We’ve had Rosie since she was a kitten and it’s awful to know that she’s suffering because someone thought it would be funny to use her as target practice.”

The cat needs to be given painkillers to make her more comfortable.

RSPCA inspector Lucy Hoehne said: “We’ve dealt with more than 65 calls to our cruelty line relating to animals being shot with airguns in the north of England this year, and cats and wild birds are the biggest targets.”

Anyone who has any information about the shooting is asked to call the RSPCA on the 24-hour cruelty and advice line on 0300-1234-999.