‘Shocked and horrified’
Pet owner fearful after second cat shot in area
A“horrified” Tauranga pet owner is seeking justice for his beloved cat who was shot with an air rifle and badly injured.
A veterinarian says it is the second cat in the area to be treated after being shot in as many months, with the other one losing an eye.
Judea resident Christopher Williams said his cat Sophy was injured on April 11 while he and his partner were at work. Sophy was happy and well after being fed around 6am, Williams said, and he and his partner headed to work about 7.15am.
Just half an hour later, his partner’s mother called to say Sophy was injured and distressed.
Williams returned home and took her to the vet, suspecting she had been in a fight.
“We had to wrestle poor Sophy from under a bed and into a cat carrier. She was visibly pained and limping badly with a clotted injury on her left shoulder.”
The vet surmised Sophy had been shot and this was confirmed when an x-ray revealed an air rifle pellet in her left scapula had fractured the bone.
”[The vet] removed the shot pellet and the ballistic tip along with a mass of hair and tissue. We picked up our drowsy, sore and rather miserable cat later that day.”
Williams said the vet told him it was a hunting rifle pellet.
He said he and his partner were “shocked and horrified” anyone would shoot a cat and the incident had caused them and Sophy “a lot of distress”.
After a “difficult few days” and a course of pain medication, Sophy was “almost back to normal”.
Williams said fortunately they had pet insurance otherwise the vet bill would have been more than $2300.
Another cat in Williams’ neighbourhood had also been shot in recent months and lost an eye. That cat was treated at the same clinic as Sophy.
“We have two other cats and fear the person responsible for these two shootings could strike again if not caught, and we urge anyone with information to come forward to the police.”
Vetcare Bethlehem clinic veterinarian Dr Marcus Dean said Sophy presented with a “traumatic” puncture wound in her shoulder area and her left forelimb was lame.
“X-rays confirmed the presence of an air rifle pellet that shattered part of Sophy’s shoulder blade and the pellet was lodged deep into the shoulder blade. Had the pellet not hit the shoulder blade it would likely have travelled into the chest cavity and caused life-threatening trauma to the vital organs of the chest.”
Dean said Sophy was given a general anaesthetic and was in surgery for more than an hour to remove the pellet and fur in the wound.
The pellet was found to have a ballistic tip used for hunting rather than a flat-top pellet used for target practice and Dean said this type of pellet caused more damage.
He said a cat from the same neighbourhood was treated at the clinic on February 12 for an “acute traumatic” head injury which included a penetrating injury to its eye and a shattered tooth.
“No pellet was found. On x-rays, the injuries all lined up in a straight line. This is consistent with a projectile passing through and exiting the body. Due to the damage, the eye could not be saved and was surgically removed.”
An SPCA spokeswoman said the organisation had not received a formal complaint about the shootings, which meant the organisation was not able to pursue a line of inquiry.
The spokeswoman said depending on the circumstances and proven facts, under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 an offender could face a charge of wilful ill-treatment of an animal with a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $100,000, or both.
A police spokesperson said police acknowledged the “distress” of the incidents but the investigation had no further leads despite area inquiries.
“We have also not been able to confirm the validity of other reports of this nature at the time in the area.”
The police urged people to report any unusual or suspicious behaviour, or incidents of concern, by calling 111 or phoning 105 after the fact.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
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