A stray cat, going by the name Marley, was euthanised following a brutal shooting, leaving him with hundreds of shotgun pellets in his body, the Association for abandoned animals said.

"This country can never heal when it comes to animals", the association said, adding that the cat was shot at "close range towards his head".

Accompanying images published show an x-ray with many white dots covering the cat's body.

The association said that the cat, somehow managed to 'crawl back to his feeder', however was later euthanised as "there was no hope for him".