A DEVASTATED cat owner is appealing for emergency funds to help save her cat’s life after it was shot with an air rifle.

Tasmin Brindley was visiting her friend in the district, but had to make an emergency trip to a Maldon vet after her 13-year-old cat Milly came back into the house and started coughing up blood.

Miss Brindley said: “I’ve been staying with my friend in Little Baddow, on Sunday my cat Milly who I’d brought up from Kent with me came back into the house and started vomiting blood.

“We immediately rushed her to Vets Now Emergency in Maldon. At this point it was unclear of how she'd received the wound and thought to be a dog or possibly a badger. I paid £326 to have her put on pain relief until I could get her to a normal vet in the morning.

“She's a fighter and managed to last the night, I then took her to Medivet in Danbury on Monday. X-rays were done and the vet realised she's been purposefully shot with an air rifle and had a bullet inside her, with many organs damaged. She needed a £2,100 operation to save her life.”

The incident is believed to have taken place in the Heather Hills Nature Reserve between Woodham Walter and Little Baddow at some point on Sunday.

Milly is now being held in Southend, and Tasmin has started a GoFundMe page to raise the huge sum of money for Milly’s life-saving operation as she can’t afford it all herself and has warned other animal owners in the district of the danger.

She added: “If anyone can donate anything it will make a difference. I don't actually expect to raise all the money through this, I'm trying to find other ways too. Even if only a tiny bit is raised it'll help. I hope people with pets in the area don’t suffer the same fate.”

The page was set up on Monday and has already raised more than £650.

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/my-cat-millys-emergency-operation.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.