Owner distraught

Fear for pet: tomcat “Jackson” shot

Waltraud K. shows where her suffering cat "Jackson" had hidden with the gunshot wound.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

"Why would someone do something like that to a velvet paw?" This is the question that kind-hearted people are asking themselves after a pet was shot in Burgenland. The owner is very worried about her seriously injured cat "Jackson". The case has been reported and is now being investigated.

Waltraud K. from Rohrbach an der Teich in the district of Oberwart endured anxious moments. She was working in the house during the day when she suddenly heard cat noises that sounded like painful whining and a desperate cry for help.

Injured cat discovered
"It was terrible. I was immediately very worried," says the woman from Burgenland, who has a soft spot in her heart for felines. Several cats live in her household. When she went outside to check what was wrong in the open stable building opposite, Waltraud K. discovered her cat.

Help needed quickly
"Our 'Jackson' was terrified," recalls the owner. The cat was crouched down on a wooden strut under the roof. He could only limp slowly to a spot where the owner carefully lifted him up. The severely injured four-legged friend was then taken straight to the small animal clinic of veterinary surgeon Thomas Neudecker in Oberwart.

Fracture of the bones
It was only at the surgery that the full extent of the wound became apparent. "The ten-year-old cat was not only in severe pain, but also showed symptoms of lameness," was the first impression.

During the subsequent X-ray examination, a fracture was found on the bones above the paw, which was clearly due to a gunshot wound. "The cat was covered with antibiotics and given painkillers," the vet's letter states.

"But why?"
The rescued cat was slow to recover from the life-threatening ordeal. His fate is a headache for his owner. For her, the question arises as to who is capable of such an act: "Why would someone resort to a weapon to inflict agonizing pain on a harmless pet or possibly even kill it?" A report was filed with the police.