An x-ray picture of a swan with airgun pellets

A Scottish SPCA study showed 40% of the 155 vets surveyed had treated animals injured by airguns in the last year.

It said 46% had treated more than one animal with an airgun wound.

In one year, the vets dealt with more than 100 cases of animal cruelty using an airgun. The problem was worst in the west of Scotland, the study said.

Four out of five of the vets surveyed wanted tighter controls on airguns.

The survey findings were compiled before the Home Office announcement earlier this month of plans to restrict the sale of air weapons to registered firearms dealers.

But Scottish National Party justice spokesman Kenny MacAskill said the survey showed it was not enough to simply restrict the sale of airguns.

He said: "A strict licensing scheme covering the sale, purchase and use of airguns is the only effective way of dealing with this problem."

We would ideally be looking for a system in which airgun attacks on animals are reduced, either through legislation or by better enforcement Leonora Merry Scottish SPCA

One vet treated a six-month-old kitten that had been shot six times at close range, leaving it almost blind, with a fractured skull and suffering from epilepsy.

In another case a cat had been shot seven times at close range.

Airgun attacks on birds are said to be a common form of animal cruelty with one inspector in Aberdeen dealing with a dozen fatal attacks on birds in the last year.

Leonora Merry, parliamentary officer for the Scottish SPCA, said the findings came from a survey which was still under way.

'Small step'

"It is a severe problem, and we are very concerned about the extent of attacks on animals, particularly on wildlife as well as domestic cats," she said.

"These are the two areas where it does seem to be the most prevalent.

"It is something that is very worrying for us, it's a horrible way for an animal to suffer."

She said the recently announced curbs on airgun sales were a "small step" towards improving the problem.