Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This pet cat has amazingly survived after crawling back to its owner and collapsing on the balcony after being blasted with a shotgun that left an incredible 56 pellets wedged inside its body.

The injured cat called Leila had managed to get back to its owner in Oberolberndorf, a part of Sierndorf is a town in the district of Korneuburg in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.

But the cat was literally on its last legs as it collapsed on the terraced balcony.

The badly injured cat was then taken to local vet Dr Christine Plattner who discovered the pellets inside its body.

Plattner said: “At first it looked like the cat had been badly bitten by another animal as there were lots of blood covered injuries all over the body. But after we took the X-rays we saw the extent of the injuries. We found 56 pellets in the cats body.”

She added: “The gunman had aimed directly at the cat but seems he was too far away to hit the cat correctly, so the cat had the opportunity to flee home.”

The cat was operated on and dozens of pellets were removed from the body, but not all, and the other pellets will likely have to remain there as they are buried too deeply and cannot be removed.

According to the vet the cat reacted well to the operation and is recovering.

Plattner said: “It is not hunting season.”

She added: “I told the owner to report the incident to the police. Maybe they can find the shooter. I believe they are not only a danger to animals, but also to people.”

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