How can somebody do that? What sort of callous person would do that?

Speckle's owner

Speckle may have been restrained by those responsible for his injuries, before being repeatedly shot in a sustained and "particularly horrific" attack.

Mr Shepherd, a partner at the private Birch Veterinary Centre, in Oxton, Wirral, said Speckle was making a good recovery although the remaining pellets could cause problems in the future.

He added: "This was a prolonged and concentrated attack on the cat, most probably with the intention of killing him.

"I have seen several cases of airgun attacks in the past but this was particularly horrific.

"Speckle has either been stuffed into a sack or this was done over a prolonged period of time. It is hard to tell. But this appears to have been one person with one weapon.

Speckle is now a more nervous cat

"It was a pretty determined effort. If it had been a stronger gun the cat would have been dead."

Officials from the RSPCA have launched an inquiry and condemned those responsible.

The charity investigated some 780 airgun attacks on animals across England and Wales in a 12-month period from September 2000.

Speckle's owner, a 36-year-old mother from Moreton who does not want to be identified, has praised the vet and the RSPCA for saving her pet's life.

Sleepless nights

The woman, a carer who lives with her mother and daughter, distributed leaflets to nearby homes and scoured the streets when the tabby first went missing more than four weeks ago.

She said: "I'm sure that he has been walking round with these pellets inside him for more than a month.

Speckle is still carrying pellets in his body

"How can somebody do that? What sort of callous person would do that?

"You don't know how many nights sleep I have missed walking the streets looking for him."

The woman revealed how Speckle, who she found under a car when the cat was just five-weeks old, appeared more nervous since the attack and refused to go out.

This latest attack highlights the RSPCA's growing concerns over airguns, with the charity lending its support to a new bill aimed at clamping down on the use of such weapons.

Mr Degenhard said the number of incidents was increasing as the nights become lighter.

Kent MP Jonathan Shaw has launched the Private Members Bill calling for the legal age at which youngsters are allowed to use low-powered airguns unsupervised to be raised from 14 to 18.

It is due to receive its next reading in May.