Daisy belonged to Phil Parker and two of his children Jade, 10, and Christopher, 7, of Prospect Street.

Neighbours discovered her on Friday morning in a field at the bottom of their garden after she had been shot in the back of the neck with an air rifle

Mr Parker said: "I let her out on Thursday evening and she never came back.

"It's cruel. Whoever is doing it wants to be caught and punished.
"The children are devastated."

His son Christopher said he felt sad at the loss of Daisy and said he thought the person or people responsible were "evil".

Jade said: "I was a bit upset. They're cruel."

The shooting comes just three weeks after Dusty, a cat that lived just two doors away from Daisy in Prospect Street, was also shot and killed with an air rifle.

On June 30, a cat survived after being shot with an air rifle in the Accommodation Road area, close to Prospect Street.

Mr Parker said he would like to warn other cat owners to be in on their guard and keep their cats indoors if possible

Daisy had lived with the family for ten years after she was found in a box on the bank of the River Bain in Horncastle.

PC Rhys Tallentire from Horncastle Police Station said: "This is a despicable offence which is cruel and distressing for both animal and owner."

"Anyone with information about who they believe could be responsible, or anyone who has seen an individual with a gun in the area, should contact us as soon as possible.

"This is illegal activity, which is also incredibly dangerous and upsetting."

A Cats Protection spokesperson said: "The charity simply cannot understand what drives people to do this kind of thing, and would urge anyone with any information about these incidents to contact Horncastle Police so that the person or people responsible can be found."

* Anyone with information should contact Horncastle Police Station on 01507 523332 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

* Are you sickened by these attacks on defenceless pets?

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