A pet owner was literally left in the dark when attempting to tell police her beloved cat had been shot with a pellet gun.
Tracey Hodgkin, of Cowley Road, Harold Hill, went to Romford Police Station at 1pm on Saturday to report the crime, but found the lights turned off and no one on reception.
The 53-year-old found her tabby, Snoopy, lying in a bush covered in blood on Friday morning after he failed to return the previous night.
“I thought he’d been knocked over by a car, he was laying there all bloodied, he couldn’t stand up. He was not very good at all,” she said.
A trip to Hillpark vets in Lindfield Road, Romford, revealed a pellet had been fired from close range, passing through one side of Snoopy’s skin and lodging in the other.
Vets informed Tracey and husband Terry that the next two days were critical for his health. One week on and he is moving “gingerly”.
“He’s not too bad now, he’s on a lot of medication. We hope he will be all right,” she said.
Tracey did eventually report the crime on Tuesday, after her initial confusion at the Main Road station.
“The lights were off, it was 1pm,” she explained. “I waited around and thought maybe I am on camera, but no one saw me.”
Turning her attention to the culprits, she added: “It’s so bad, he’s so friendly. How can you do that to a little cat?
“It’s just terrible, doing such wicked things. Awful, and for a bit of fun.
“He’s definitely got no lives left -– he’s quite lucky.”
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