A cherished pet kitten has had to be put to sleep by vets, after being paralysed by an air pistol shot to the spine.

The nine-month-old kitten was discovered by an RSPCA inspector on Appleton Drive in Ormesby and taken to Haven Veterinary Surgery in Great Yarmouth and was unable to move.

It had initially been thought she had been hit by a car, before x-rays revealed she in fact had been shot through the chest with an air pistol, with the pellets striking her in the spine, paralysing her.

After a social media campaign successfully located the white and tabby kitten's owners, vets had to put her down, ending her suffering.

Robert Livie, senior vet at Haven, said: 'Every now and again we do come across animals that have been shot at with air pistols and it causes real harm - not only physical harm to the animal itself, but emotional harm to the owners

'Our hope is that by making people aware this has happened in future somebody may think twice before firing an air pistol around an animal.'

The kitten was taken to the vet at around 1.30pm on Wednesday, March 1, and lived on West Road in the village.

Her owners - who wish to remain anonymous - have informed the police of the incident.

Mr Livie added: 'This is such a sad story, and we're hoping that making people aware will help stop something like this from happening again.'

A spokesman from the RSPCA said: ''We are very sad to hear about this poor cat who dying after being attacked with an air rifle.

'Sadly this is not as unusual as you would hope - cats and wildlife are more vulnerable to these kind of attacks simply because they are out there in the open.

'We urge anyone with any information about what may have happened to call out 24 hour cruelty line on 0300 1234 999, in strictest confidence.'