A CAT lover is warning animal owners to be on their guard after her pet was shot dead.

Hazel Mallaby's cat Ally was found dead in a garden in Sutton Close, Mowden, in Darlington, last Wednesday.

The two-year-old ginger and white animal had been shot in the shoulder.

Mrs Mallaby, a mother-of-two, said: "He went missing just for a few hours. A lady down the road came to tell me he was in a garden.

"I found him there and he'd been shot outright. They'd shot him on the left-hand side and it had gone through his shoulder and an internal organ."

Mrs Mallaby said Ally had previously been shot with a pellet but survived after a visit to the vet.

She said: "I'm angry and I just want to make people aware that this is happening in what is supposed to be a nice place.

"I know some people don't like cats but couldn't they just throw water? It might not be a cat next time who gets shot, it could be a child."

Inspector Brian Maudling, from Darlington police, said "It is an inhumane thing to do to an animal and it is very disturbing for the owners of the cat. We are appealing for any information about the incident and about air weapons in that area."

An RSPCA spokeswoman said airgun attacks on domestic pets and wild animals were too frequent.

She said: "There are a minority of people out there who seem to take quite a sick pleasure in using cats as targets.

"There is nothing that we can do unless we know who pulled the trigger. It is so frustrating for the families that whoever has done it is getting away with it."

Last year, more than 200 airgun attacks on animals in North Yorkshire and the North-East, were reported to the charity.

Anyone with information on the latest one should contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681.