Cat shot with arrow Clarksville, TN (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 County: Montgomery Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 1 files available Alleged: Joseph Gonzalez

Case ID: 8637 Classification: Shooting Animal: cat View more cases in TN (US) Animal was offleash or loose Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Login to Watch this Case

In true feline form, a local cat skirted death earlier this week after being shot with a bow and arrow by a neighbor. The 3-year-old Siamese mix named "Stitch" is recovering at the Somerset Lane home of her owner, Jason Martin. The man accused of shooting Stitch � neighbor Joseph Gonzalez, of 585 Somerset Lane � has been cited with animal cruelty.

Gonzalez told police Stitch had been chasing his pet chicken, Clarksville Police Officer Derek Crow said. Gonzalez declined to comment Wednesday night when contacted at work by telephone. Paul Dover, who lives next door to Martin, said he saw Gonzalez aim for and shoot at Stitch with a compound bow Tuesday evening. "At first I thought he was just target-shooting," Dover said Wednesday. "Then, he walked to the corner of his property and shot the man's cat in an empty lot on the corner. That cat jumped up in the air, did a flip and ran wide across the street with the arrow hanging out."

The arrow penetrated Stitch's body on one side � near her shoulders, just above her spine � and lodged in her upper torso after piercing the opposite side of her body. Dover immediately called police before leaving a message for Martin at his job. Dover said he knew how much his neighbor loved the cat. When Martin returned home, Stitch was waiting on his back deck, with the arrow still protruding from both sides of her frame. "It was pretty graphic," Martin said during a telephone interview Wednesday. "It looked like someone may have tried to help her by taking the time to break off both ends of the arrow so she could move around better."

Martin took Stitch to a 24-hour veterinarian's office, where the cat was sedated and the arrow removed. A drainage tube was inserted in the wound, and Stitch was prescribed a round of antibiotics and painkillers. "The arrow grazed across her back, and actually fractured one of her vertebrae," Martin said. "If it had been about a quarter-inch or so lower, it could have embedded in her spine or lungs, or it could have broken her back."

Officer Crow said when he confronted Gonzalez, a sergeant at Fort Campbell, he was "flippant" about the shooting. "He was actually more upset about me seizing his bow," Crow said. "He just kept saying the cat had been trying to kill his chicken." Crow said that while "a cat is not usually considered a vicious animal," both pet owners are responsible for keeping their animals restrained. Dover said Stitch had been known to explore areas close to his house. "(Stitch) used to come up on my porch and urinate on my work shoes," Dover said with a laugh. "I just put out some ammonia and red pepper to keep (her) away. (She's) just a cat � that's what (she) does. I'd hate to think someone might shoot my dog if he got out."

Gonzalez is scheduled to appear June 9 in General Sessions court.

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References

The Leaf Chronicle - May 18, 2006

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