(WSVN) - Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person behind an attack on a cat in Hallandale Beach.
The cat, named “Hawkeye,” was found with a 5-inch blowgun dart lodged in its body earlier this month.
After spending a few days at a veterinary clinic in Fort Lauderdale and undergoing emergency surgery, veterinarians say the 7-year-old cat is doing all right.
“Our kitty is recovering very nicely. He’s eating and drinking and using the litter box normally at home,” said Dr. Pete Otovica with Good Karma Pet Rescue.
Officials said the bullet narrowly missed the cat’s vital organs.
“This was the original exit point of the dart and this is the entry point of the dart. So it went in here, came out here,” said Otovica. “We’re very lucky that its trajectory was parallel instead of going deeper and going into the muscle.”
The stray cat was found in the area of Southwest Sixth Street after a volunteer at Good Karma Pet Rescue said they had been feeding the cat for seven years and that day, the cat hadn’t showed up to eat.
“That’s how we found him because he stopped showing up for food,” said a volunteer.
The volunteer then found the cat cowering down in a bush and trembling in pain.
“She found him in the bushes and he was hiding and terrified, he wouldn’t come out. she worked for several days to trap him,” said Jodi Daughtry, employee at the veterinary office.
The black cat only has a minor infection to recover from before being discharged from the animal hospital. Doctors hope to find him his new home.
“He’s a feral cat, so he’s not used to being inside or being with people so much. So he’s pretty scared but he’s very friendly,” said Otovica. “We’re going to do a dental exam and treatment for him and make sure his teeth are nice and clean and healthy before he goes to his new destination.”
The medical staff hopes that by sharing this story of rescue and survival, they will encourage people to think twice before abusing such a helpless animal.
“It’s really hard for me to understand what goes through a person’s mind when they are doing something like this to an animal. It’s very upsetting to us and honestly it affects how we think of our human brothers and sisters,” said Otovic.
Police continue looking to where and when the attack happened as they urge the public to come forward with information.
You may contact the Hallandale Beach Police Department at 954-457-1400.
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