New campaign launched against fatal airgun attacks
31 May 2016
A campaign has been launched by Cats Protection to prompt a call on governments in England and Wales to make it a criminal offence to own an air gun without a licence.
According to the survey, almost half of vets questioned (44 per cent) had treated cats which had been the victim of attacks by air-powered weapons in the last year, with nearly half of these shootings proving fatal (46 per cent).
The survey is launched on the 20th anniversary year that Cats Protection first looked into the issue of air gun attacks.
In 1996, 74 per cent of vets had treated cats for air weapon attacks and just 11 per cent died from their injuries, indicating that although attacks seem to be less common now, they are more likely to be fatal.
A new video has been launched by Cats Protection as part of the campaign. There is hope that by featuring the video across social media channels, individuals affected by air gun attacks will come forward to share their stories. In turn, this will collect more evidence about the scale of these attacks and help to continue to raise the issue with politicians across the UK.
Cats Protection’s Advocacy Manager Jacqui Cuff said: “The sheer volume of instances where cats are injured and killed by air gun attacks is very concerning. We are calling for much stricter regulation on the ownership of air guns, as we strongly believe this will help to protect cats and other animals.”
If any cat owners have lost their cat due to an air gun attack in the last six months, the advocacy team is urging you to send your details to campaigns@cats.org.uk to assist in the campaign.
A ‘keeping cats safe’ information leaflet can also be found on the website – click here to download.