A family say they have been left 'absolutely devastated' after their cat had to be put to sleep after being shot.

Gizmo, a male ginger cat, was found injured and covered in blood in a neighbour's garden four days after going missing from his home in Beccles.

Sue Rossi, Gizmo's owner, tried to clean the young cat's wounds before taking him to the vets, where it was discovered he had pieces of shot in his shoulder and mouth.

Gizmo's injuries were so severe that he had to be put down.

Mrs Rossi, who lives with her two daughters, Hannah, 23, and Isobel, 20, said the whole family had been left shocked and saddened by the death.

'It was so upsetting because he was such a mummy's boy, a really gentle little thing who wouldn't hurt a fly,' she said.

'I just thought he had been hit by a car – when I found out that he had been shot we were absolutely devastated.'

Mrs Rossi, who works for a school catering business, has five other cats, including Gizmo's brother Bobby, who has been particularly affected by the death.

'He is definitely feeling it,' she added.

Gizmo went missing from the family's home in Lowestoft Road on Thursday, August 11.

Mrs Rossi and her family put up flyers in the area the following Sunday and received a call saying Gizmo had been found in a neighbour's garden.

'He was such a sweet tempered, loving little boy so I can't imagine that he'd been shot for pestering anything,' she added.

'Someone must've been using him for target practice.'

Gizmo is believed to have been shot in Beccles between August 11 and 15

Suffolk police are investigating the incident and officers are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 101.