Doral woman discovers ailing pet cat was shot outside home

DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida homeowner has been left shocked and sickened after she discovered her ailing pet cat had been shot in front of her home.

Speaking with 7News on Monday, Doral resident Bibiana Salmon said little Grey was a stray cat until he met her.

“I trapped him, and when I released him, he didn’t have a home, so he stayed here,” said Salmon. “I fed him, took care of him and took him to the vet.”

That was about five years ago. Salmon, a cat-loving animal advocate, had cared for Grey ever since.

The feline liked to hang out on top of his owner’s cars or around the exterior of her house in the Costa Verde neighborhood.

That all changed last week, when Salmon noticed Grey wasn’t feeling well. He wasn’t eating or moving well, so the concerned owner took him to the vet.

Grey’s prognosis was not promising. “When he took his temperature, he said, ‘The cat is agonizing. His temperature is too low,'” said Salmon.

X-rays were taken, and Salmon was shocked at what her cat’s caretakers found. “Right here: He’s got a bullet,” she said as she showed 7News the X-ray image on her smartphone.

A bullet, or a pellet, and separate fragments were found inside Grey. She was told his internal organs were so damaged that her precious pet had to be put to sleep.

Salmon, who has been fiercely devoted to saving cats across Miami-Dade County for more than 10 years, never thought she’d see animal abuse so close to home.

“I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I was gonna be a victim of this type of crime,” she said, “that my own cat, in my own front yard, in my own house, would be hurt to death.”

Salmon said the Doral Police Department is now on the case, as investigators attempt to find out who would shoot a cat inside a quiet gated community.

“I had to put my cat to death. My cat was killed right here, in front of my front yard,” said Salmon.

Salmon believes Grey could have been shot while sitting atop her vehicle.

Now a flier offering a reward for information on Grey’s killer bears her pet’s photo. “They did something so terrible to an animal that was doing harm to nobody,” said Salmon.

If you have any information that could help investigators in this case, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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