Whizz the cat escaped death by a whisker after a thug shot her in the chest and kicked her.

The seven-year-old tabby and white cat managed to drag herself to her owner's front door despite being in so much pain she howled when they picked her up.

She is now recovering at her owner's home from the attack.

Whizz, who has been part of the Small family of The Bricky, Peacehaven, since she was a kitten, was found on their doorstep on Wednesday, May 19, at about 8pm.

Mother-of-six Jackie Small had become concerned as Whizz had not returned home all day.

Mrs Small, who works at Asda in Brighton Marina, said her husband went to put the bin out and found her on the doorstep.

She said: "We couldn't see any injuries but we knew there was something wrong. She couldn't walk.

"We thought she had been knocked over because there wasn't any blood."

The couple took the cat to Pets - the Priory Emergency Treatment Service - in The Deneway, London Road, Brighton.

Vet Marc Abraham took care of Whizz, who was in a serious condition with difficulty breathing.

He said: "The pain was mainly around the ribs/chest area and she was difficult to examine well.

"At first I suspected a road accident as the symptoms were similar to a condition called diaphragmatic hernia' in which the muscular divide, the diaphragm, between abdomen and chest is broken and restricts the movement of the lungs due to forward movement of the guts."

Mr Abraham and nurse Nicky Bulman anaesthetised Whizz, put her on a drip, administered pain-relief and clipped the fur around her chest, which revealed extensive bruising.

An x-ray was taken which showed there was an air-gun pellet within the abdominal cavity.

Whizz underwent an emergency operation to remove the pellet and remained in the Pets hospital for two nights.

Mr Abraham said: "In my opinion Whizz had been kicked in the chest and shot at too.

"Pet owners need to keep a look out for this type of behaviour in their neighbourhoods or get in touch with the police if they know of anyone connected with this cruelty."

Mrs Small, who is in her 40s, said: "We were really shocked. I have 15-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter still at home and they were really upset too.

"We just couldn't believe that someone could do this to an animal. It could have been a kid.

"We live in a big square and all the kids play outside and Whizz doesn't go far so it must have happened nearby."

Whizz is now recovering from her ordeal but remains very bruised.

Mrs Small added: "Marc phoned my husband after the operation and said it was amazing because the pellet had missed every organ. I think she has lost eight of her nine lives."

The shooting has been reported to police.