A young, female cat found barely alive in the wooded area at the end of Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin with a gunshot wound is now recovering in a foster home. A Stafford Veterinary Hospital receptionist is caring for the tan and brown domestic shorthair tiger cat at home and is expected to adopt her in the future.
Dr. Michael Pride, the veterinarian overseeing the cat’s treatment, wants to make sure the home is a good fit before formally adopting her out, though he said things are going well so far.
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| Photo via Stafford Veterinary Hospital A vet receptionist is currently fostering the cat at home and plans to ultimately adopt her. |
“Her basic, normal functions are there. So I think she will be a nice cat, just quiet,” Pride said.
The cat, which veterinary staff had named Lucky, was rushed to the hospital on Oct. 12 after Stafford Township Animal Control Officer Kelly Karch responded to a call from a local resident who found the cat shot in the right side of her head, and another that was pronounced dead at the scene, while walking his dog that morning. The surviving cat underwent emergency surgery, and Pride removed bullet fragments from behind her jaw and in her skin. Her lungs also had quite a bit of fluid in them.
“Honestly, I’m not sure how she survived,” Pride said.
The cat is currently on antibiotics and pain killers and is being treated for a wound infection. She’s also being watched closely because she is experiencing some neurological deficits from the trauma.
“She kind of stares off into space, and she’s rather reclusive,” Pride said, adding that “she’s very jumpy” and doesn’t always seem to notice when a person’s there until they’ve touched her.
Though Pride said this type of assault is not common in the area, he noted that BBs have been found unexpectedly in other animals during X-rays. Since they’re not fresh wounds, he said they leave the BBs there.
Pride isn’t optimistic that the perpetrator responsible for the recent shooting will be found. No witnesses have come forward, he said.
“It was a good Samaritan who found them, and unfortunately I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere past that,” said Pride. “But the good thing is that one of the cats survived and she’s in a home. We’re going to check up on her frequently.”
In the wake of the incident, a concerned citizen has offered a $500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the shooting. Since then, another citizen has come forward offering an additional $500 reward.
“I just think that it was such a cowardly act that the perpetrator should face pressure and that it will serve to hopefully discourage similar acts,” said Steve Jaffe, a Beach Haven homeowner, who is offering the additional reward. “Hopefully if I join in, others will, too, and at the very least the person responsible will have some sleepless nights.”
Lt. James Vaughn said the Stafford Police Department has no suspects or concrete leads.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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