Cat shot with air rifle
Marysville, WA (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Sep 1, 2008
County: Snohomish

Disposition: Alleged

Abuser names unreleased

Patti Mikel has lived in her neighborhood for 14 years and has never seen cruelty like this. A 23-pound Persian cat named Charles was shot four times with an air rifle in the last two weeks.

Charles underwent a successful surgery but still needs a home and is up for adoption.

"His former owners, who lived down the street, moved in January and just left him here. They abandoned him," Mikel said.

Charles has been living off the generosity and kindness of people like Mikel. She has helped that cat before, feeding Charles and even going so far as to remove a pellet lodged in his skin. Unfortunately, the new attack on the cat was beyond her ability to care for, so she called the Humane Society at Happy Paws Farm in Arlington for assistance.

Executive director Linda Hunter personally responded to the plea for aid, taking the animal to a veterinary clinic.

"Most of these cats who have been attacked go to the Everett Shelter or PAWS, but in this case we took Charles in," Hunter said. "Many times they are euthanized since they are in such poor condition."

Dave Vasconi, a Marysville community service officer, said animal cruelty complaints are sporadic.

"We get abuse calls where the animal has been shot with an air rifle, last summer there was a cat shot with a bow and arrow," Vasconi said. "But this year, the reports of animal abuse have been low."

Mikel, 47, would have taken the cat in if it weren't for her two large dogs, a Rottweiler and a bulldog.

"It's a shame, Charles is a real lovable cat -- a sweetheart. He looks just like the cat on the Friskies cat food commercial," Mikel said. "I want to find him a home, out of harm's way. I don't want to see him put to sleep."

After the surgery, Charles was neutered and given shots to keep him healthy. He is currently resting at the Happy Paws Farm in Arlington waiting for adoption.

"Our policies require that to be adopted he must be an inside cat only, never being allowed outside," Hunter said.

References

• « WA State Animal Cruelty Map

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