Rachael Notarianni said the eight-year-old Burmese cat Lucky — who was given the name after being rescued — recently wandered across the road into her neighbour’s front yard on Huon Creek Road.

She said the neighbour shot the animal with a shotgun, which stuck him in the leg, before the cat ran back towards the house, fell down a gully, and broke its neck and died.

“We don’t live in redneck country,” Ms Notarianni said.

“People know the difference between a feral and a domesticated cat.

“But he’s legally within his right to do that because we live on a rural property.

“I just want people to be careful.

“This sort of stuff shouldn’t happen in the times we live in now; we’re not in the 1920s.”

Lucky had slept in her son Joshua’s bed each night, and she said he had been left devastated by the incident.

“It’s not just a pet, he was a family member,” Ms Notarianni said.

“People with guns should be more careful.

“Just because you’ve got a gun doesn’t mean you grab it and shoot anything you want.”

She had contacted the RSPCA with concerns over animal cruelty but said because the cat appeared to have died quickly, the shooter could not be prosecuted.

Wodonga Council requires cats to be confined to their owners property between 7pm and 7am, but Ms Notarianni said the incident had occurred about 10.15am.

“There’s no way you can mark your cat to show that it’s domestic,” she said.

“He was rescued after being dumped out here which is why he was called Lucky.

“I don’t want to name and shame the man.

“I just want to make people aware that these things happen and it’s not a nice thing.”