Thursday 5 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 29899Cruelty to an animal · Co. Donegal

Cruelty to cat in Ballyshannon under investigation

A five-year-old ginger male cat named Ramsay, owned by a woman in the Station Road area of Ballyshannon, Donegal, was found to have 17 metal pellets lodged in its body after being shot with a BB gun. Veterinary scans revealed the last five fresh wounds indicated the cruelty was ongoing over a period of months, and the pellets cannot be removed as they are too deeply embedded and too close to the spine. The owner reported the incident to the Gardaí in Ballyshannon and to the ISPCA. The case is under investigation.

  1. Reported28 Sep
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • A five-year-old ginger male cat named Ramsay was found to have 17 metal pellets lodged in its body, including a swelling on its right leg caused by an entry and exit wound.
  • The last five fresh wounds indicated the cruelty was ongoing over a period of months.
Where
The cat's owner lives in the Station Road area of Ballyshannon, Donegal.
Cause
The cat was shot with metal pellets from a BB gun.
Investigation
The owner reported the cruelty to the Gardaí in Ballyshannon and to the ISPCA Head Office in County Longford and the Donegal branch.
Other details
  • The 17 metal pellets cannot be removed as they are too deeply embedded and too close to the spine.
  • The cat has been kept inside the house for the last four weeks.
  • The cat is one of three cats owned by the woman, all from one litter.
12 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe cat has 17 metal pellets lodged in its body (donegallive.ie)
  • whatThe cat is a five-year-old ginger coloured male cat (donegallive.ie)
  • whatA swelling on the cat's right leg was caused by an entry and exit wound from a metal pellet (donegallive.ie)
  • whereThe owner lives in the Station Road area of Ballyshannon (donegallive.ie)
  • whenThe last five fresh wounds show the cruelty was ongoing over a period of months (donegallive.ie)
  • causeThe cat was shot with metal pellets from a BB gun (donegallive.ie)
  • investigationThe owner reported the cruelty to the Gardaí in Ballyshannon (donegallive.ie)
  • investigationThe owner contacted the ISPCA Head Office in County Longford and the Donegal branch of the ISPCA (donegallive.ie)
  • otherThe cat is named after the TV chef Gordon Ramsay (donegallive.ie)
  • otherThe 17 metal pellets cannot be removed as they are too deeply embedded and too close to the spine (donegallive.ie)
  • otherThe cat has been kept inside the house for the last four weeks (donegallive.ie)
  • otherThe cat is one of three cats owned by the woman, all from one litter (donegallive.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 28 Sep2021
    Reporteddonegallive.ie, first report
    'TRULY SHOCKING' - Family cat is shot repeatedly in horrific attack

    Reports the shooting of the cat, the owner's emotional appeal, the veterinary findings of 17 embedded pellets, and the reporting to Gardaí and ISPCA.

    victim, femalesuspect