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Waihi resident Larry Leyland thought it was strange when his beloved cat BB did not return from his usual daily walkabout a couple of weeks ago.
And when the 2-year-old tabby-Japanese bobtail cross did come home, he seemed a little the worse for wear.
"He was just about a skeleton ... but we couldn't see anything wrong with him," said Mr Leyland.
It soon became apparent that BB could not walk properly. He also refused to eat anything so Mr Leyland took him a veterinarian.
X-rays showed that the cat had been shot five times, possibly by an air rifle; slugs were peppered throughout his body.
"One of the slugs was inside his stomach which was obviously causing a blockage," said Mr Leyland.
"One looked like it was in between the ribs and lungs and one in the back spine near the hips ... I don't know how he got back here, really."
Mr Leyland, a 47-year-old sickness beneficiary, could not afford the bill of about $300 to remove one of the slugs.
BB was put down later that day.
"It is pretty hard, he was a part of the family ... you can only imagine what it'd be like for an elderly person who have animals as their companions," Mr Leyland said.
"I just want to know what kind of sick person does these types of things. Using a cat as target practice, it's just wrong."
Richard Knight, of Waihi Veterinary Services, said BB's shooting was the third such attack on a cat in the past two weeks.
Another cat arrived at his practice with a severed artery from a slug and also had to be put down.
"These animals have been suffering for days with these things inside their chests ... it's a horrendous way to live."
Sergeant David Litton of Waihi police said it was "very worrying" that someone in the community was taking potshots at domestic animals. He said investigations were continuing.
