Two cats in Fife have been killed in airgun attacks in the last month.

One owner found her tortoiseshell cat lying injured outside her home in Townhill, Dunfermline on August 11.

She took her two-year-old pet to the Edinburgh Royal Vet School but they could not save the cat who had internal injuries from an airgun shot.

On September 3, a five-year-old white tortoiseshell cat was found staggering around a garden in Bunrtisland covered in blood.

The owner called a vet to the house but Cleo died before they could get there. A post-mortem examination found an airgun pellet.

Fife Constabulary are appealing for witnesses as they try to find the people responsible for the cats' deaths.

Ian Laing, wildlife and environmental crime co-ordinator, said: “These incidents cause a lot of unnecessary distress to the animals and their owners but over and above that there are concerns with air weapons being discharged in residential areas and the associated risks to the public.

“For those reasons, we will be conducting extensive enquiries into both of these incidents and would seek the assistance of the communities involved in locating those responsible and ensuring they are dealt with appropriately.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fife Police on 0845 600 5702 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.