Re: Beloved pet cat shot with air rifle

[Guest guest]

The neighbor kids would shoot cats and other pets when I was a kid and try to blame it on me. I would sometimes shoot squirrels when the numbers got too high, but not more than one or two per year. That hasn't been necessary since the big ice storm of 1999 felled so many trees. Now we have the opposite problem: the area is so open that hawks and owls have an easy time hunting. It is not unusual to have a litter of squirrels out there, saw maybe 8 or so, then within a few weeks it is back down to 2 or 3. I always listen before putting out food for the squirrels and if I hear a hawk or other signs that something is around, I don't put any out. Hurricane Isabel also knocked down a lot of trees so it is very open compared to what it used to be.

In a message dated 3/15/2008 1:45:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/03/15/beloved-pet-cat-shot-with-air-rifle/Beloved pet cat shot with air rifleA pet cat has been shot at point blank range in a cruel attack with an air rifle in Wolverhampton.Millie, an 18-month-old tortoiseshell cat, was left fighting for her life after the attack in Bilbrook, which left a metal pellet lodged just an inch away from her spine. Now her owner Annette Clews, who bought the cat for her 10-year-old autistic daughter Sophie, says she wants the culprit to apologise. & #8220;Millie is my daughter & #8217;s pride and joy, & #8221; said Mrs Clews, 44, of Pendeford Mill Lane. & #8220;She had always wanted a cat and she chose Millie from a litter of kittens. She calls Millie her little sister. Millie sleeps in her room and eats when my daughter eats. & #8220;She & #8217;s helped Sophie & #8217;s autism so much just by improving her self confidence and I feel so angry that someone has done this. & #8221; It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money Finance.