Clawing his way back
Joe the cat, shot 17 times, is a magazine star,
Even if cats have nine lives, Joe can count himself lucky.
Sarnia’s now-famous feline was a whisker away from death when he was found by the side of the road one winter after being shot17 times in the head with a pellet gun. Two years later, Joe has made a remarkable recovery and is set to be featured in the next issue of Modern Cat magazine. “You wouldn’t know he went through any trauma at all,” said Jenilyn Sheppard of Lime Hippo Pet Photography, who snapped photos of Joe for the Vancouver-based magazine.
She says Joe lazed around during the photo shoot and was better behaved than other pets who have posed for her.
“After everything he’s gone through — for lack of a better phrase — he’s completely bomb-proof,” she said.
On Feb. 2, 2014, a Good Samaritan brought the badly injured Joe to the Sarnia & District SPCA. Shelter staff took him to an animal hospital for treatment. To pay for his hefty vet bill, they put out a call for donations on Facebook.
People were lining up to contribute even before the SPCA opened, assistant manager Alissa Scarpelli said. “They had three people at the front desk just taking phone calls. It was immediate, the response.”
SPCA employees at work that day still talk about the outpouring of support for Joe, she added.
“It was like nothing they ever expe- rienced before.”
The campaign raised $33,000 — more than enough to cover the $6,000 vet fee. The difference went to a local animal shelter that helps cover the cost of medical treatment for rescues.
Joe underwent several surgeries and lost his right eye. He moved in with a foster family, where he has room to play in a fenced-in “catio” in the backyard, Scarpelli said.
Around town, Joe has become a celebrity. Last fall, he walked the red carpet at the second annual Sarnia cat film festival at the Lambton County Library, the Sarnia Observer reported. His Facebook page has more than 51,000 “furrends.”
“He’s a big star,” said the page’s founder, Michelle Nicholson, who used to work in public relations and now devotes her time to community outreach and placing stray cats in foster homes. “I think I’ve seen fans from every country except the Vatican.”
“He’s a big star. I think I’ve seen fans from every country except the Vatican.” MICHELLE NICHOLSON FOUNDER OF JOE THE CAT’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Animal cruelty charges against a man accused of shooting Joe were dropped in January because there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction.
Nevertheless, Nicholson says a campaign to get “Justice for Joe” was successful since it shone a light on animal abuse. The Ontario SPCA investigated 17,000 complaints across the province last year and responded to 1,521 calls in the GTA, a spokeswoman said.
On Saturday, Joe is scheduled to meet his fans in Sarnia and give “paw-tographs” at a fundraiser for the local humane society.
“Although bad news travels faster than good usually, people always want to hear a good story with a happy ending,” Sheppard said.