A young cat was left partially-blinded last week after it was shot in the face with a pellet gun, near Luard Avenue in Princeton.
鈥淚t was shocking,鈥� said the cat鈥檚 owner Megan Parent.
鈥淚 was so sad and angry and just couldn鈥檛 imagine that someone could do this to someone鈥檚 family member.鈥�
Parent said her boyfriend discovered the seriously injured animal 鈥� named Poca - about 10 a.m. Tuesday, while he was out walking the couple鈥檚 two dogs.
鈥淗e came in the house with the cat and showed me what happened. Without hesitation we took him to the Cascade Vet Clinic in town.鈥�
While they first thought Poca might have been injured by a deer or a passing car, an x-ray revealed the cat had been shot.
鈥淭hey said they would have to remove the eye and remove the pellet without losing him or causing really bad brain damage.鈥�
While Poca is now recovering comfortably at home, and has lost his eye, the pellet remains in his head, lodged behind his jaw.
The bill for Poca鈥檚 surgery and care was $1,400, but it was money well spent, said Parent.
鈥淲e received amazing service. They [the vets] took care of him right away.鈥�
Parent has no idea who might have wanted to harm Poca.
鈥淏oth of my cats are trained, in and out, and to stay around my house never farther than a few houses away,鈥� she said, adding she has never heard a complaint about her pets鈥� behaviors.
鈥淭hey only go towards you if you are saying 鈥榟i,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost of my neighbors do have animals, cats and dogs.鈥�
Parent is unaware of any enemies who would want to harm her pets, but said she has heard stories of other animals in the Allison Flats area being shot in the past.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 done by accident. Someone shot him in the eye because they wanted to and I just can鈥檛 understand who could do that.鈥�
Parent didn鈥檛 report the attack to the police because she has no proof of what happened.
鈥淚f I do know who it is I will go to the police and do what needs to be done to the person who is hurting animals in this town. I just hope that this person sees how much damage he or she did in this town by doing that and that it will never happen again,鈥� she said.
RCMP Sergeant Barry Kennedy expressed surprise at the extremity of the attack, when interviewed by The Spotlight.
While complaints of animal abuse are not unusual they generally 鈥渁re not this drastic,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here is always somebody saying someone hit their dog or they saw someone kick their cat but to actually shoot them and maim them in that way that they are harmed for life is uncommon.鈥�
Kennedy said somebody apprehended for such a crime could face criminal charges of animal cruelty and charges under municipal bylaw for discharging a pellet gun in town.
鈥淚f anybody knows who did this we would love to know about it,鈥� he said.
