Cat shot with crossbow arrow
Last updated 13:03, Friday, 29 August 2008
MARMITE the cat is lucky to be alive after being shot through the back with a crossbow.
Horrified owner Mark Richardson found him lying in a dog basket in his kitchen.
Marmite had crawled home to safety through the cat flap with a foot-long arrow sticking out of his shoulder.
Mark, of Oliver Place in Newcastleton, said: “It was a bit of a fright when I saw him. As soon as he saw me he started howling.”
Mark took Marmite to the Capon Tree surgery in Longtown where vets were almost in tears at the sight of the wounded animal.
X-rays revealed the arrow had narrowly missed his spine.
Its shaft was imprinted with teeth marks where Marmite had tried to pull it out himself.
Emma McManus performed the surgery to remove the arrow.
She said if Marmite had gone without treatment for another couple of hours she would not have been able to save him.
“He was obviously in a lot of pain, he was flat out and very distressed. He’s probably been quite lucky, if it had been a couple of centimetres lower I don’t think he would still be with us.”
Colleague Jane Orr added: “There were four of us working and all of us had the same reaction – that it’s just horrendous that someone could do something like that to an animal.
“We were nearly in tears, it is just disgusting.”
It is thought Marmite was shot some time on Tuesday as sightings of a cat with an arrow in its back were reported around the village.
Mark believes the culprit will be fairly easy to catch.
“It’s a small village – someone will know who’s got a crossbow.”
Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident and are keen to hear from anybody with information about the ownership of any weapon that could have caused the injury.
Contact Hawick Station on 01450 375051
Without a doubt this is one very lucky cat, I can't imagine the distress Marmite was in also the upset to owner and Vets. I have been in the same situation where my horses throat was slit some 6years ago, my friends horse was shot with an air rifle, and reports of another horse being molested in my area.
There are some unhinged and sick people out there and should be punished accordingly, a slap on the wrists and confiscation of their toy won't be enough!
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Poor cat. I hope the judge will make an example out of this scum when they are caught. It's absolutely sub human.
Posted by David on 3 September 2008 kl. 21:34