A beloved family cat has been shot in the face forcing her to wear a metal frame around her head for the next few months.

Pebbles, 2, was walking around the idyllic village of Eynsford when a pellet came flying towards her, fracturing her jaw.

The injury will leave Pebbles with some permanent facial defects and her owners with medical bills of around £3,000.

Steve Jury, 33, from Bower Lane in Eynsford, said: “On Wednesday night she came home absolutely petrified. There was blood pouring all through her mouth.

“Her face was all mangled up. When I spoke to the vet I touched the bottom of her mouth and it was very floppy" - owner Steve Jury

“Her face was all mangled up. When I spoke to the vet I touched the bottom of her mouth and it was very floppy.

“My wife is pretty shaken by the whole thing. It has left us very emotional.”

The dad-of-one initially thought that Pebbles might have been in a car accident. It was only after she was referred to the Royal Veterinary College in London that they found a pellet lodged in her jaw.

Pebbles now has to have a metal frame in place around her head for the next six months.

She also has to be fed through a special feeding tube while she recovers.

“Our neighbours were as shocked as we were when they found out,” said Steve, who lives with his wife and seven-month-old baby. “You don’t expect it in villages like this.

“Knowing that there is someone out there with a gun shooting cats is very worrying. We just want to get the word out.

“Things are difficult enough at the moment while we have a baby to look after.”

Thankfully, aside from being a bit more jumpy than usual, Pebbles appears to be doing well.

Steve added: “She is very good natured. She is more like a dog than a cat in the way she seeks so much attention.

“I’m just frustrated more than anything, but I’m glad she is alive.”