Cat found with dart in eye
Monroe, NJ (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
County: Middlesex
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The cat showed up on the porch of a Monroe Township home on Jan. 30 with a blow dart in its left eye. The dart - the kind that’s only fired out of a gun of sorts - came out the back of the cat’s neck.
Now, the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is trying to find out who is responsible. They’re offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.
The cat, likely a stray, was given the name Valentine by the non-profit group that’s helping with her recovery.
Once the homeowner found the cat on her doorstep last month, she immediately called the Gloucester County Animal Shelter, which picked up the cat and took it straight away to the Delaware Valley Veterinary Hospital in Mullica Hill.
There, the cat underwent surgery to have the dart removed from her eye and she was kept there for about a week, said Bill Lombardi, director of the Gloucester County Animal Shelter.
Joa’s Arc was contacted to help foster Valentine after her surgery, said Joyce Moyer, founder of the group.
Moyer said Valentine was staying in her Gloucester City home until Friday when the cat had to return to the vet hospital for a second surgery.
“Her eye was totally destroyed,” Moyer said Monday. “The first surgery was just to get it out of her face then clean it out.”
Friday’s surgery involved stitching the left eye shut. Moyer said Valentine will likely stay at the hospital for a few more days then will return to her home. They’re looking to find someone to adopt Valentine once she has fully recovered.
“She’s in a lot of pain,” Moyer said. “You have to watch when you approach her because she lost 50 percent of her vision. It takes to adapt to humans because of what she went through.”
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the SPCA at 1-800-582-5979. If you have information on this case, please contact:
SPCA
1-800-582-5979
Case UpdatesA $500 reward has been posted for information about a case of animal abuse in which a cat was hit in the eye with a dart in South Jersey.
SPCA officers said the cat was found on a porch in Monroe Township with a dart through its eye.
The cat was given the name "Valentine" by the non-profit group that's helping with her recovery.
If you have any information, call the New Jersey SPCA. | Source: Delaware Times - Feb 23, 2010
Update posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 8:26PM |
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