Tauranga cat shot with an air rifle is the second injured in recent months

A “horrified” Tauranga pet owner is seeking justice for his beloved cat, who was shot with an air rifle and seriously injured.

A veterinarian says he’s the second cat in the area to receive treatment after being shot in as many months, and the other lost an eye.

Judea resident Christopher Williams said his cat Sophy was injured on April 11 while he and his partner were at work.

Sophy was happy and well after being fed around 6 a.m., Williams said, and he and his partner headed to work around 7:15 a.m.

Half an hour later, her partner’s mother called to say that Sophy was hurt and distraught.

Williams returned home and took her to the vet, suspecting she had been in a fight.

“We had to get poor Sophy out from under the bed and put her in a cat carrier. She was visibly in pain and was limping badly with a clot injury to her left shoulder.”

The vet assumed Sophy had been shot and this was confirmed when an x-ray revealed that an air rifle pellet to her left scapula had fractured the bone.

“(The veterinarian) removed the pellet and ballistic tip along with a mass of hair and tissue. That same day we picked up our sleepy, sore and pretty miserable cat.”

Williams said the vet told him it was a hunting rifle pellet.

He said he and his partner were “shocked and horrified” that someone would shoot a cat and that the incident had caused them and Sophy “a lot of distress”.

After “a few difficult days” and a treatment with painkillers, Sophy was “almost back to normal.”

Williams said luckily they had pet insurance, otherwise the vet bill would have been more than $2,300.

Another cat in Williams’ neighborhood was also shot in recent months and lost an eye. That cat was treated at the same clinic as Sophy.

“We have two other cats and we fear the person responsible for these two shootings may strike again if not caught, and we would urge anyone with information to come forward to police.”

Vetcare Bethlehem clinic vet Dr Marcus Dean said Sophy had a “traumatic” puncture wound to the shoulder area and her left forelimb was lame.

“X-rays confirmed the presence of an air rifle pellet which shattered part of Sophy’s shoulder blade and the pellet lodged deep in the shoulder blade. “If the pellet had not struck the shoulder blade, it likely would have traveled to the chest cavity and caused potentially life-threatening trauma to vital organs in the chest.”

Dean said Sophy was given general anesthesia and was in surgery for more than an hour to remove the lump and hair from the wound. .

The pellet was found to have a ballistic tip used for hunting rather than a flat tip pellet used for target practice and Dean said this type of pellet caused more damage.

He said a cat from the same neighborhood was treated at the clinic on Feb. 12 for an acute traumatic head injury that included a penetrating eye injury and a broken tooth.

“No pellets were found. On radiographs, all lesions were aligned in a straight line. This is consistent with a projectile passing through and exiting the body. Due to the damage, the eye could not be saved and was surgically removed.”

A spokeswoman for the SPCA said the organization had not received a formal complaint about the shootings, meaning the organization could not pursue a line of inquiry.

The spokeswoman said that depending on the circumstances and proven facts, under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, an offender could face a charge of intentional mistreatment of an animal with a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $100,000 , or both.

A police spokesman said police acknowledged the “distress” of the incidents but said the investigation had no further leads despite inquiries in the area.

“We have also been unable to confirm the validity of other reports of this nature at that time in the area.”

Police urged people to report any unusual or suspicious behaviour, or worrying incidents, by calling 111 or 105 afterwards.

Sandra Conchie He is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. He mainly covers police, court and justice stories, as well as general news. She has been regional/community reporter of the year at the Canon Media Awards.