Nine-year-old Muffin was found by a member of the public in their garden in Allerton Bywater and her owners were traced after an appeal on social media.

Unable to bear weight on her left hind leg, she was taken for immediate veterinary treatment where X-rays revealed the limb was shattered in two places.

An airgun pellet was found by her knee joint and near her back, along with another one in her stomach which is likely to have been there for some time because of a layer of fat around it.

Vets pinned and plated Muffin’s leg and successfully removed one of the pellets.

She’s been on pain medication and antibiotics since returning home and her owners.

The RSPCA says the number of reported incidents involving cats being targeted with airguns, catapults/slingshots and crossbows doubled in the first six months of this year, with 44 cases being reported compared to 18 in the same period in 2023.

West Yorkshire RSPCA Inspector Adam Dickinson said: “These types of incidents are very worrying and leave other people feeling anxious that their pets or even their children could be hurt.

“It’s unspeakably cruel and totally unacceptable to shoot animals for ‘fun’ like this, or to harm them for target practice, but sadly, we receive hundreds of reports every year.

“Cats like Muffin often sustain life-changing injuries – commonly blindness – from being shot with a weapon or in some cases don’t not survive at all.

“However, we believe the numbers we hear about only show part of the problem as not all cases will be reported to us and there may be situations where animals injured and killed by these weapons are sadly never found – especially in the case of wildlife.

“We’re so pleased that Muffin is making good progress and we’d urge anyone with first-hand information about this incident to get in touch with the RSPCA.”

Anyone with information about the attack is urged to contact the charity’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018 quoting reference number 01357492.