Cat shot in the face with pellet gun
Saanich, BC (CA)Incident Date: Thursday, Dec 13, 2007
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Napoleon the cat waddled out of his Saanich home and into the arms of what his owner calls a truly sick individual.
That person, whoever it was, lured the overly-friendly five-year-old orange tabby into grabbing distance, picked him up, and shot him in the face with a pellet gun at point-blank range.
The damage was severe. The pellet burst through Napoleon's mouth above his whiskers, shattering his teeth and left jaw and sending the furry feline scurrying back into his home on Faithwood Road in Saanich's Broadmead neighbourhood, where he lay bleeding under a bed.
Owner Lucine Frechette came home around 5:30 p.m. that Dec. 13, and was surprised Napoleon didn't greet him and his wife in the driveway as usual. He whistled for the cat, but it didn't appear for dinner. He soon found a trail of blood leading under the bed, and rushed Napoleon to the veterinarian. They thought perhaps Napoleon had been hit by a car, until the vet told him his cat had been shot, said Frechette.
"It made me sick," said the 36-year-old. "I almost broke down in tears.
"He's a pretty friendly cat and he'll come up to anybody, so my theory is somebody called him over and was maybe petting him and then shot him in the face with a pellet gun with the intent to kill him... The poor guy, he's an innocent little cat, and friendly with everybody, and somebody took advantage of that to try and kill him. It's sickening."
Napoleon is still alive, despite his injuries. The veterinarian at Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital wanted him transferred to Canada West Veterinary Specialists and Critical Care Hospital in Vancouver for surgery, said Frechette.
Frechette and his wife rushed the tranquilized cat to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal last Friday. Helpful B.C. Ferries employees, including the terminal manager, held them a spot on the boat and allowed them to board and exit the ferry before other passengers.
Napoleon remains at the Vancouver hospital, where Frechette said vets are waiting to see if his injuries heal properly. If they don't, his left jaw will have to be amputated, said Frechette. Meanwhile, Napoleon has been given a blood transfusion and is connected to a feeding tube, said Frechette.
Saanich police are investigating the shooting, and retrieved the pellet from Napolean's face after surgery Monday.
"It is a very inhuman thing to do to an animal," said Sgt. John Price, department spokesman. "If there's somebody out there tormenting domestic animals, we'd like to know who they are."
It is likely someone in the neighbourhood was responsible, said Price. Police are asking for the public's help in finding that person.
Frechette said a neighbour had a cat get sick a month ago for no apparent reason, and his father's cat, who lives in the family home, was killed last year in what he believes was a case of poisoning.
The Frechettes are now waiting to see how Napoleon heals. Lucine Frechette rejects the idea of euthanizing the cat, because he said Napoleon did nothing wrong and was otherwise a healthy family pet. The vet bills are already more than $5,000, and although it is difficult to afford that amount near Christmas, Frechette, who works in the courier industry, said he will find a way to pay it.
"If it takes me a year or two years I'll find who did this," he said. "We have somebody in our neighbourhood who probably needs mental help."
When Napoleon returns home, he and the family's other cat, Kyla, are going to be kept indoors, said Frechette.
Anyone with information is asked to call Saanich police at 475-4321 or Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers
1-800-222-8477
References
|
