A CAT narrowly avoided death after being shot in the head with an air rifle.

The De Villiers family, of Stanley Crook, were shocked when four-year-old Thandi returned home with a disfigured jaw last Sunday.

The family had let Thandi out while they watched TV but when they checked on her the next morning they found blood all over her face.

Penny De Villiers said: “In the morning we noticed she had this disjointed jaw and blood on her so we thought it was a car accident but and took her to the vets and she said she had a bullet in her.”

Mrs De Villiers named Thandi a little trooper after undergoing a serious operation to repair the damage but the mum-of-three, 47, added: “It’s just devastating, we feel totally violated and worried because we don’t know if it’s just a cat hater or of it’s someone targeting us.”

It is not the first time the family’s cats have been targeted, pets Starra and Zi were also killed in suspicious circumstances.

Both had gone missing in the same week in September and the family was concerned because one was a house cat, they were later found in a farmer’s field laid against the wall a few metres apart.

Mrs De Villiers said: “The vet said there were no bullet markings and they had not been hit by a car so we don’t know how they died but just that it was suspicious circumstances because it was definitely not natural causes.”

Dr Rebecca Bradley, of Darlington Vet Clinic, performed Thandi’s operation and described those responsible as “cruel”.

“This cat was shot at point-blank range which smashed all her teeth on the right side and it broke her jaw,” she said. “She had to have quite extensive facial surgery to repair the fractured jaw and there is still a risk of infection.”

She added: “It’s an absolutely horrendous injury and the pain and suffering she must have experienced makes me think it’s no wonder the North-East is the worst on record for cruelty.”

Crook Police are investigating a spate of incidents involving injured cats and have appealed for anyone with information to send a message via Crook NPT Facebook page for the attention of PC Shaun McCarroll or on 101.