Summary

The author's cat, Buddy, was shot with an air rifle, resulting in a fractured leg, and the incident has left the author feeling angry, sad, and traumatized, seeking justice and a quick recovery for their pet.

Abstract

Buddy, the author's indoor-outdoor cat, suffered a fractured leg after being shot by an air rifle in the vicinity of the author's home. The incident occurred suddenly, as the cat was seen unharmed just ten minutes prior. After a veterinary examination and x-rays, the gravity of the situation was revealed, prompting the author to consider various treatment options, including a costly surgery, a splint with an uncertain outcome, or amputation. The author has opted for the splint and is planning to offer a reward for information leading to the identification of the perpetrator, whom they believe to be a neighbor. The author expresses deep anger and a desire for revenge, while also highlighting the emotional impact of the incident on both themselves and their partner.

Opinions

The author is in a state of shock and disbelief over the malicious act against their pet.
There is a strong sense of anger and a desire for retribution against the person responsible for injuring Buddy.
The author views the act as a sign of "horrible insensitivity" and refers to the perpetrator with derogatory terms, indicating intense emotions.
The author is considering legal action under the T-Bo Act to financially penalize the individual who harmed Buddy.
Despite the emotional turmoil, the author recognizes the resilience of cats and is hopeful for Buddy's recovery with the chosen treatment.

I JUST CAN’T

Today Someone Shot Our Cat

This person better be afraid — very afraid

At around 1:00 PM this afternoon Buddy, our indoor-outdoor cat, limped across the backyard to the sun room door.

Michael called out for me to come look. Buddy’s back leg was dragging, and he was sure it was broken. But how? We’d just seen him ten minutes earlier and he was lounging in the sun.

What on earth could he have done?

He doesn’t travel far. His perimeter and patrol area have shrunk down to just our cove and the street behind us. He doesn’t even go down to the end of the cove like he used to before he became a permanent fixture in our home.

We were perplexed at how he could have broken his leg — he would have had to take a nasty fall or get accidentally hit by a neighbor’s car. Nothing made sense.

We carefully bundled him into the carrier, and then the car. We called our vet and explained what we thought had possibly happened. There was a long wait since we didn’t have an appointment, but finally our name was called.

After a quick exam Dr. Sweet told us his leg was indeed fractured, but x-rays would give us more information. We waited until he returned with the final verdict.

He’s been shot by an air rifle — a BB or pellet gun he told us.

We were in shock. That couldn’t possibly be the case. He showed us the x-rays and it was abundantly clear that that was the case.

An orthopedic surgeon was called and consulted. Three scenarios were laid out. The first would be a very delicate and complicated surgery.

Recovery time would be lengthy and the risk of infection and other issues would have to be considered.

Oh, and the cost would be between three and five thousand dollars.

The next option would be a splint. Six weeks, and then we’d be able to determine if the bones would graph back to where he could at least walk normally. The BB or pellet would remain in his body.

The third option was amputation. The last procedure would be the quickest, easiest with the best chance of a quick recovery our vet told us.

Buddy would be a tripod cat.

Dr. Sweet assured us that although this option sounds the worst he’s done dozens of these surgeries and that cats recover and adapt with amazing resilience.

Tonight Buddy is at the clinic. We opted for the splint, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll bring him back home in the morning and will receive instructions on how to help Buddy mend comfortably.

I cannot express to you how angry, sad, and traumatized I am by this. Michael is beside himself, swearing he will break the arms and legs of the person who did this.

The horrible thing is, we KNOW it’s one of our neighbors in the cove directly behind us. A brick and cedar fence divides our homes and Buddy often prances along that fence.

The timing of the shooting also bears this out. Just ten minutes earlier he was OK. He would not have had time to venture very far, and he certainly wouldn’t have been able to return in his injured state.

I’ve already posted the shooting on NextDoor and Facebook. Tomorrow we will post flyers offering a reward to anyone who can help us identify the culprit.

But at the moment I’m grieving the horrible insensitivity of this evil bastard. This son-of-a-bitch. I want revenge. I want to hurt them like they hurt my Buddy.

I actually fear what I might do if I confront this person.

I recently wrote a piece about a new Tennessee law that will force drunk drivers to pay child support to the children of any parent killed by the drunk driver.

Tennessee also has a law called the T-Bo Act. This law forces someone to pay up to $6,000 if it can be proven they intentionally harmed someone’s pet.

If we can find out who did this, I will make sure they get slapped by the T-Bo bill. For some people getting hit in the wallet is the most painful punishment.