A KITTEN is lucky to be alive after a vicious attack left him blind in one eye.

Eight-month-old Seamus was found crying in pain with blood pouring from his nose at his Eastleigh home after being shot in the head by an air gun at close range.

Now his owner, Mary Viney, wants to warn other cat owners of the dangers and find the heartless person responsible for this callous act.

Mary, of Lawn Road, was left devastated when she found her grey tabby crying in pain with a gaping wound in his nose.

At first she thought he had been hit by a car but after visiting the vet, x-rays revealed that Seamus had an air gun pellet embedded in his skull, just behind his right eye.

Now Seamus is too frightened to venture further than his garden and with the pellet embedded in such a critical position there are still fears over his future as it is too dangerous to remove.

Mary, 56, a night worker at Tesco, said: "He has completely lost his sight in his right eye and his character has totally changed.

"He has lost all his confidence and I have told my husband that this will probably mean he won't live to a ripe old age.

"He has gone through an awful lot in just eight months. He almost met his maker and the vet said he's lucky to be alive.

"It wasn't until we saw the x-ray that we knew what had happened because we saw the pellet stuck in Seamus' skull.

"I was so upset and furious that somebody could do such a thing.

"I've sent letters to all the neighbours warning them about this. Hopefully if somebody knows something this might prick their conscience because the person who is able to shoot a kitten at close range obviously hasn't got one.

"What will it be next? Today a kitten, tomorrow a child maybe?"

A police spokesman said: "Any maltreatment of any animal for whatever reason is appalling and if this was a deliberate act I would urge anyone with information to contact us.

"This serves as a warning to anybody using air guns that there is a potential danger when firing them in a residential area."