Pet owners beware as police investigate cat shot with BB gun in Montgomery County
Woman devastated after her cat is shot
A woman in Montgomery County made the anguished decision to have her cat put down after someone shot the cat with a BB gun.
HARLEYSVILLE, Pa. - A cat was shot with a BB gun in Montgomery County and the injuries were too severe that the owner made the agonizing decision to put the cat down. Police are investigating and the woman is sharing the story as a warning for others.
What we know:
"She was gasping. Like, that’s a sound that doesn’t leave you," Nicole Cammarota described her cat’s injury.
‘Someone shot our cat’ is how Cammarota started a Nextdoor post alerting her neighbors of what happened to her short-haired calico. The Harleysville woman says someone with a BB gun shot her 3-year-old cat, Lilly, late Saturday night.
"I caught her crawling up my basement steps and you could tell she was very tight. She was clearly bleeding," Cammarota explained.
At first, Nicole says she thought Lilly fell off the roof, but once taken to the vet, an X-ray painted a different picture. A report detailed the injuries, finding the cause of the injuries to be from a pellet or bullet from a gun.
What they're saying:
"She got shot twice. Once straight through the body, in her upper torso, neck area and her back," Cammarota said.
The trauma Lilly suffered was so severe and expensive that Nicole made the tough decision to put her to sleep.
Dig deeper:
Lower Salford Township Police have been in the Park Avenue area investigating, hoping to find whoever is responsible.
Nicole explained her decision to talk about her cat’s injuries, "I want to spread the awareness like if your kids play with them, let them know the consequences that could happen from it, because it could be felony charges. I would want the kid to get help. If it’s an adult, shame on them, because they should know better."
Nicole says she has been seeing all of the support from the community with her post gaining over 200 comments and she is hoping other owners hear the story and keep their cats close.
"There are ways to keep them in parameters, which I’m learning and going to be training to do with those animals," she said.
What you can do:
Police are asking anyone with information to please come forward and contact Lower Salford Police by calling 215-256-9500.