STUART, Fla. — A Manatee Creek family was devastated after having to put their cat down because of the severity of its injuries. The cat was shot with a pellet gun on Mitzi Lane in Martin County on Tuesday. Now, they’re seeking justice.
“You just rest in peace baby, you're not in anymore pain,” said Chris Caron.
Caron called police Tuesday when she discovered the family cat was unable to walk.
“I go over there and she's dragging herself up the driveway and our other feral cat is right next to her making sure she makes it home," she said. "So then I call animal control.”
She thought it was hit by a car, but the Martin County Sheriff’s Office determined the cat was shot at close range by a pellet gun, resulting in immediate paralysis.
“It’s just inhumane to torture and inflict pain on animal like that needlessly,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
The incident took neighbors by surprise.
“That cat, it would walk up to you and purr and go up against your leg. That cat could not harm anyone,” said Tyler Cothrin.
The family is still grieving as they wait for answers.
“Yeah, we’re all kind of upset just wondering who would do something like that so childish, you know these are innocent animals,” said Caron.
Deputies said this may not be the first instance of cats being shot with a pellet gun in this community.
“Once we put it up on Facebook, we began to see feedback from people in that Manatee Creek neighborhood, where this occurred, saying that their cats had also endured the same type of injury,” Snyder said.
The sheriff's office is turning to the community for help to find the person who pulled trigger.
“If you have an animal that’s been injured by a projectile or if you have cameras on your house and you look through it and you see something that might help us, please give us a call,” Snyder said.
The community is now left fearing it will happen again.
“If my dog or cat gets out on accident and someone’s just walking around and they decide my dog or cat is a threat to them and they just shoot them,” said Cothrin. “I’d be furious.”
“My dog gets loose. He’s an escape artist, you know, what if somebody shoots him,” said Caron.
The cat’s owner said she’s offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the person responsible. If convicted, they could face felony animal cruelty charges, which carry a maximum of five years in prison per count.
