Tipsy the cat is recovering after being shot in an air gun attack.

His owner, who does not wish to be named, said another inch to the right and it would have hit his chest. The cat was shot near his Beaminster home on Flaxfield Road on Sunday.

The 18-month-old ginger tom appeared to have bitten the pellet out of his leg leaving a pellet-shaped hole, said his owner, who did not wish to be named.

He said: “We were in the front room on Sunday when the cat walked in with what looked like a tick on his leg but it turned out it was a pellet hole.

“He was lucky – another inch to the right and it would have been his chest.”

PC McGregor from Bridport Police said there had also been unconfirmed reports of seagulls being shot and injured around North Allington.

He said gulls were protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to kill any gull or damage or destroy their nests.

He added: “BB guns and other air weapons can and maybe mistaken as genuine or real weapons, if they are seen and used in public. Any calls received by us regarding suspected activity of this type will be taken very seriously. Air weapon owners have a duty to ensure they are used in a responsible way.”