By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:45 EST, 5 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 15:12 EST, 5 March 2014 . A crossbow-wielding thug is being hunted after he left a pet cat fighting for her life by shooting her straight through the abdomen. Esther, a two-year-old tabby, was inches from being mortally wounded by the dart shot into her right-hand side, which punctured her intestine and pancreas. Had it been a couple of inches further forward it would have ripped through her lung - a wound she would have had no chance of surviving. Emergency: Two-year-old tabby Esther photographed after her operation to remove the crossbow dart, which left her fighting for her life after it was shot into her right-hand side and punctured her intestine and pancreas . Esther's owner, Bob Jevon, found the injured pet lying in her basket while he was getting ready to go to work. 'I came down at 6.30am and saw she had a big dart sticking out of her,' said Mr Jevon. 'It must have only just happened because she started to slow down soon after when the adrenaline wore off and the shock took over.' Mr Jevon rushed Esther to his local vets in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where medics operated to remove the dart and patch up her lacerated organs. She fought to survive for 72 hours before finally stabilising, but still needed another week of intensive nursing before finally pulling through. Deeply embedded: An X-ray shows how the crossbow bold went nearly all the way through Esther's body . Vets say Esther is likely to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened on February 25. 'She's on lots of antibiotics,' said Mr Jevon, who lives with his wife Angela and their other cat Polly in Tonbridge, Kent. 'She's totally zonked and completely out of it like she's in a pussycat equivalent of an opium den. 'She has to stay inside for another week until her stitches are taken out.' After the callous attack, Mr Jevon is now calling for more controls on and monitoring of the sales of crossbows and air pistols. 'They can be bought in sports shops or online and anyone can buy them as no proof of age is needed,' he said. 'Kids have them in town and put pictures up on sheds and shoot right through them. 'Almost the whole dart was inside her and she was so lucky it didn't puncture a lung - she had a very lucky escape.' Now he wants to find who was responsible for the shooting, which Kent Police is investigating. 'It happened at an odd time which makes me think it may have been an adult who was fed up with cats pooing in their garden,' he said. Esther's owner, Bob Jevon, found the injured pet lying in her basket while he was getting ready to go to work. Following surgery, vets say Esther is likely to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened last week . Duncan Mitchell, who treated Esther at the Culverden Road practice in Tunbridge Wells, said: 'Incidents like this are fortunately extremely rare and whilst I have seen cats shot with air gun pellets, I have never seen a crossbow injury in my 23 years of practice. 'She was extremely lucky to survive as the bolt had punctured her intestines and also her pancreas. 'It was very touch and go for the first 72 hours whether she would survive but after six days of intensive nursing she pulled through and was able to go home. 'If the bolt had been a couple of inches further forward she may well not have survived. 'Although one sees these incidents on TV and in newspapers it is still shocking to see it in person and to deal with the understandably upset owners.'
Dart was inches away from puncturing two-year-old tabby Esther's lung .
Her owner found her wounded in her basket as he got ready for work .
Vets operated immediately and now say she will make a full recovery .
Kent Police are investigating the attack which happened on February 25 .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:45 EST, 5 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 15:12 EST, 5 March 2014 . A crossbow-wielding thug is being hunted after he left a pet cat fighting for her life by shooting her straight through the abdomen. Esther, a two-year-old tabby, was inches from being mortally wounded by the dart shot into her right-hand side, which punctured her intestine and pancreas. Had it been a couple of inches further forward it would have ripped through her lung - a wound she would have had no chance of surviving. Emergency: Two-year-old tabby Esther photographed after her operation to remove the crossbow dart, which left her fighting for her life after it was shot into her right-hand side and punctured her intestine and pancreas . Esther's owner, Bob Jevon, found the injured pet lying in her basket while he was getting ready to go to work. 'I came down at 6.30am and saw she had a big dart sticking out of her,' said Mr Jevon. 'It must have only just happened because she started to slow down soon after when the adrenaline wore off and the shock took over.' Mr Jevon rushed Esther to his local vets in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where medics operated to remove the dart and patch up her lacerated organs. She fought to survive for 72 hours before finally stabilising, but still needed another week of intensive nursing before finally pulling through. Deeply embedded: An X-ray shows how the crossbow bold went nearly all the way through Esther's body . Vets say Esther is likely to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened on February 25. 'She's on lots of antibiotics,' said Mr Jevon, who lives with his wife Angela and their other cat Polly in Tonbridge, Kent. 'She's totally zonked and completely out of it like she's in a pussycat equivalent of an opium den. 'She has to stay inside for another week until her stitches are taken out.' After the callous attack, Mr Jevon is now calling for more controls on and monitoring of the sales of crossbows and air pistols. 'They can be bought in sports shops or online and anyone can buy them as no proof of age is needed,' he said. 'Kids have them in town and put pictures up on sheds and shoot right through them. 'Almost the whole dart was inside her and she was so lucky it didn't puncture a lung - she had a very lucky escape.' Now he wants to find who was responsible for the shooting, which Kent Police is investigating. 'It happened at an odd time which makes me think it may have been an adult who was fed up with cats pooing in their garden,' he said. Esther's owner, Bob Jevon, found the injured pet lying in her basket while he was getting ready to go to work. Following surgery, vets say Esther is likely to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened last week . Duncan Mitchell, who treated Esther at the Culverden Road practice in Tunbridge Wells, said: 'Incidents like this are fortunately extremely rare and whilst I have seen cats shot with air gun pellets, I have never seen a crossbow injury in my 23 years of practice. 'She was extremely lucky to survive as the bolt had punctured her intestines and also her pancreas. 'It was very touch and go for the first 72 hours whether she would survive but after six days of intensive nursing she pulled through and was able to go home. 'If the bolt had been a couple of inches further forward she may well not have survived. 'Although one sees these incidents on TV and in newspapers it is still shocking to see it in person and to deal with the understandably upset owners.'
Esther, a two-year-old tabby, was inches from lying in her basket while he was getting ready to Esther's body . Vets say Esther is likely to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened on February 25. 'She's on lots of antibiotics,' which Kent Police is investigating. 'It happened make a full recovery from the attack, which