A pet owner from Houghton Regis was devastated when his cat returned home with horrendous injuries after being shot by a callous sniper.

Craig Slessor, 53, and his wife Elaine, 52, had not seen their tortoiseshell puss, Chloe, since she left the house in Northview Road on Thursday, January 21.

When she eventually returned to the couple's garden five days later, they were shocked to see the state she was in.

Mr Slessor, a dad of four, told the Gazette: "We want to try and find out if anyone knows who may have done this."

He added: "She crawled into the garden with her legs dragging behind her. We knew there as something seriously wrong so we took her straight to the vets."

X-ray results revealed that the cat had been shot by a pellet which hit her spine.

The bullet also touched her kidney and it is now uncertain whether she will recover.

If she does make it, the injuries she sustained will leave her permanently paralysed.

The couple have lived in their present house for eight years and in that time they have had three cats go missing.

Mr Slessor said: "We've started to wonder if this is what may have happened to all of them. We're asking if it's a case of those three just not making it home."