A 12-year-old St Mary Bourne cat called Sam is recovering after being hit by a stray shotgun pellet.

Sam belongs to Mr and Mrs Barry and Pauline Cornhill, who live in Batsford, St Mary Bourne. They first noticed something was wrong when he returned home limping last week.

Concerned they took him to the vet where an x-ray revealed a pellet had entered Sam's body between his back legs and lodged just below his stomach. Fortunately the pellet had not damaged any internal organs but the couple were left with a £126 vet bill.

They believe the injury was the result of a stray shotgun pellet, rather than a deliberate attack..

Nevertheless, Mr and Mrs Cornhill are concerned that it does not happen again and have asked people to be careful when using shotguns.