Crusader shot in backyard
A famous cat named Prince Butterscotch has been shot with a pellet gun while relaxing in his backyard.
The year-old ginger cat lives in the small Waikato town of Matamata and has a large fan club as the mascot for Little Red Matters, a book to promote awareness about the bullying red-haired children face.
Quite a few of his fans were upset when they found out he’d been shot.
‘‘Everyone was offering to help us with his vet bill and sending through their wellwishes on recovery,’’ owner Bianca Duimel said. ‘‘We are incredibly humbled by people reaching out, which makes me like Matamata even more.’’
Duimel and her two children moved to the township a few months ago.
On Tuesday evening, she heard a yelping sound coming from the backyard, where the kids were playing.
‘‘They were crowding around Prince Butterscotch wondering what was wrong . . . It was very upsetting.
‘‘He just fell in shock and the force of the little pellet winded him, so he couldn’t breathe. I think someone was aiming for his head.’’
But she doesn’t know who shot her cat or where the shot came from.
X-rays at the vet’s showed he had a pellet wound just below his neck, near his shoulder.
The vet said Butterscotch could have permanent nerve damage. He is now at home recovering.
‘‘He walks with a limp and can’t use his front paw, but he is alive, thank goodness,’’ Duimel said.
‘‘He isn’t a roaming cat. He only hangs out in the garden or by our big trees.’’
But Duimel’s biggest concern is someone shot him while there were kids around.
She contacted the police and posted the incident on the local community Facebook page.
‘‘Police are just as concerned as we are about the fact someone has been shooting a firearm in a little urban area when there are children around.’’