FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Fall River are turning to the public for help as they work to track down the person who shot a family’s beloved cat with a pellet gun on Father’s Day, leaving the animal paralyzed.
Officers responding to a home on Pokross Street on Sunday night learned an outdoor cat, named Bella, was wounded by an apparent pellet gun shot, according to the Fall River Police Department.
Bella’s owner, Jade Barretto, says her family has cared for the cat since it was abandoned at birth.
“I have had her for so long,” she told 7NEWS. “She is older than my son.”
Barretto’s family was barbecuing in the backyard of Ed Galego’s home for Father’s Day when her children noticed Bella was missing.
“When I saw the way she bleeding, there was a hole and I could see the blood coming out,” Galego said.
Police believe the cat was shot between 3 and 5 p.m.
The cat was taken to the Swansea Veterinary Hospital, where pellet fragments were found lodged in the cat’s spine.
Bella’s family opted to put her down after learning the animal’s hindquarters were paralyzed.
“If they even tried to perform surgery, she wouldn’t last,” Galego said. “She would never walk again.”
As Barretto grieves the tragic loss, she hopes the police catch whoever is responsible for the heinous crime.
“I just want to know why. I keep trying to justify it in my head,” she said. “What could this cat have done? I can’t believe somebody could just do that.”
Police say the shooter will likely face animal cruelty charges.
Anyone with Information is asked to contact the Fall River Police Department at 508-676-8511. Those who would like to provide anonymous tips can call the TIPS line at 508-324-8477.
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