Cat shot with pellet gun Palo Alto, CA (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Sep 23, 2006 County: Santa Clara Local Map: available Disposition: Open Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 9725 Classification: Shooting Animal: cat View more cases in CA (US) Animal was offleash or loose Login to Watch this Case

One Palo Alto company's pet cat was shot last week and another has been missing since mid-September, which has their owners wondering who is responsible.

The cat that was shot, named Buddy, was found huddled under a bush Sept 23 by its owner, Rick Bentley.

Bentley, who opened a video surveillance company on Embarcadero Way and adopted the cat for the office, said he thinks Buddy was shot with a pellet gun last week.

Bentley rigged a surveillance camera near Buddy's cat door to record his comings and goings, and the last time Buddy was recorded leaving was Thursday night.

Although Bentley saw Buddy limping, he didn't realize the cat had been shot until he took him to an emergency veterinary clinic Sunday.

``As soon as the vet saw the X-rays, the doctor said, `It's a gun shot, he's been shot,' '' Bentley said. ``My opinion here is someone has been coming out here with an air rifle and shooting cats.''

The shot to Buddy's right rear leg required surgery. Buddy will be confined to a box-like cage for about two months while he heals from the surgery, which included inserting pins into his wounded leg.

Police said Buddy was shot with either a .22-caliber firearm or an air weapon, based on the size of the round and the injuries to the cat. Anyone apprehended for shooting Buddy could be charged with animal cruelty and face jail time, said Palo Alto police Sgt. Sandra Brown.

The attack on Buddy came just two weeks after owners of another Palo Alto business noticed their cat and mascot was missing. That cat, named Buster, has not been seen at the Shoreline Flying Club since about mid-September.

Club co-owner Gordon Matthews said he trained Buster to roll over and sit like a dog.

``Everybody fell in love with him and he has never been gone this long,'' Matthews said. ``He is gone, and we're afraid he's dead.''

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References

The Mercury News - Sept 28, 2006

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