The RSPCA is investigating after a cat was blinded in one eye after it was shot.

And the owner has also appealed for anyone with information to come forward after six-year-old black and white cat Merlin was shot in Highburton last Saturday.

Retired accountant Karen Phillips said she can’t understand why anyone would want to shoot a cat.

“I can’t believe anyone could be so cruel,” she said. “I felt so distressed when the vet told me what had happened.”

RSPCA inspector Emma Brook added: “Merlin is lucky to be alive and it is horrible to think what pain he must have gone through. At this moment we know very little about when and why this happened and who shot this poor cat. We want local people to be aware and vigilant as we don’t want another cat getting injured.”

Merlin loses an eye after been shot and still has the pellet embedded in his face, pictured with ownwers Peter, Glyn and Karen Phillips.

Merlin was shot sometime last Saturday morning.

Karen, 58, said she let Merlin out as normal around 7.15am on Saturday but he never returned for his breakfast around 10am as usual.

She thought nothing of it at the time but when he hadn’t reappeared by 1pm Karen went out and shouted for him.

He appeared for some bushes with his right eye shut and bleeding.

She tried to bathe it and then took Merlin to a veterinary hospital in Dewsbury.

At first the vet thought Merlin may have been struck by a car, but when they did X-rays they realised he had been shot and the pellet was still lodged in his face in soft tissue between his eye and his jaw.

The vet operated on Sunday and sadly had to remove the eye along with a large blood clot behind it.

Merlin the cat before he was shot

Karen said: “Unfortunately they were unable to remove the pellet as it was lodged in too deeply. To try to get it out would have caused more harm than good.”

She added: “Merlin’s now home but really quiet and lying down a lot but he’s certainly a lot better than he was over the weekend and on Monday.

“On Saturday he was extremely distressed by what had happened to him. You could tell that because he was breathing so quickly.”

Merlin is now recovering with the help of antibiotics and painkillers.

Merlin loses an eye after been shot and still has the pellet embedded in his face.

Karen is married to Glyn and the couple have four children Peter, 22, Martin, 28, David aged 25 and Helen, 21.

The incident has also been reported to the police.

Anyone with information should contact the RSPCA call centre on 0300 1234 999.

Calls are treated in confidence.