It is legal in England and Wales for anyone over 18 to own an air gun without a licence.

Charity urges government to update legislation 

Cats Protection has renewed its calls for air gun licensing in England and Wales after further shootings.

The charity says its Bridgend Adoption Centre has seen two cases in the past two months, from different parts of Wales.

Stray cats Jewels and Mr Bojangles were both taken to the charity after being shot and air gun pellets were found embedded under their skin. Both had to undergo surgery but have since made a full recovery.

It is legal in England and Wales for anyone over 18 to own an air gun without a licence. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, these weapons are licensed.

Reports in the press suggest 164 cats in the UK were shot with air guns in 2017, but Cats Protection says that in reality, this figure is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jacqui Cuff, the charity’s head of advocacy and government relations, said: “It cannot just be coincidence that over 85 per cent of these reported attacks on cats were in England and Wales.

“Sadly, we see many instances where cats are shot by air guns, often sustaining life-changing or fatal injuries. These lethal weapons are far too easily accessed. Modern legislation on air gun ownership is now well overdue in England and Wales.”

A petition by the charity, calling on the government to update the law in line with the rest of the UK, has so far been signed by more than 115,000 people.

The government launched a review of the legislation in 2017, including a consultation that ran until February 2018, but there have been no further updates on its future plans.