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Kane pet cat slowly recovers from gunshot wounds |
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Written by Publisher
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Friday, 23 July 2010 |
Family's pet cat shot in face
Photo by Ted Lutz
Sue Hogue holds her pet cat "Meme" outside her residence at 539 Park Ave. at the corner of Cherry Street in Kane. The small cat is recovering from injuries suffered Tuesday when it was shot in the face. Kane Police Chief Brian Hillard, who is investigating, said he believes the cat was shot with a pellet gun. Persons with information on this animal cruelty case are urged to contact police.
By Ted Lutz
Republican Staff
A small Kane pet cat is slowly recovering from wounds sustained when it was shot in the face Tuesday at point-blank range.
Kane Police Chief Brian Hillard is conducting the investigation is and urging the public to come forth with information on one of the area's worst animal cruelty cases this year.
The wounded female feline is one of three pet cats and a small dog living at the Hogue residence at 539 Park Ave. at Cherry Street in Kane. All the pets in the household have black and white markings.
Sue Hogue said she "took in" the stray cat about a year ago after it returned home with her son, Don Howe. She said her son was "out for a walk" when the cat followed him home.
"The cat was pretty scrawny and hungry," Hogue said. "I didn't need another cat, but I couldn't turn it away. God put her in my path."
She said the cat also was pregnant at the time. The cat gave birth to five kittens in November. The Hogues kept one kitten and gave away the others to friends.
Hogue said she calls the cat "Meme," which is the same nickname she gave her daughter, Melissa Saeli, now a Buffalo resident.
Hogue, the former Sue Johnson and a 1965 graduate of Kane Area High School, said "Meme" apparently was wounded sometime Tuesday. She said her son, Chuck Howe found "Meme" bleeding on the porch at the residence.
Her son and another daughter, Kim Allen of Kane, rushed "Meme" to the Pine Haven Veterinary Clinic off Route 6 in Wetmore Township east of Kane.
"We didn't know our cat had been shot," Hogue said. But she said X-rays determined the presence of bullet "fragments" in the cat's stomach and intestine.
"Meme must have swallowed them," Hogue said.
The cat sustained major injuries to the face, indicating the site where "Meme" was shot.
Chief Hillard, who responded to the call at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, believes the cat was shot with a pellet gun. It appears the cat was shot at point-blank range, Hogue said.
"Meme" was treated at the veterinary clinic and is now slowly recovering at the Hogue residence.
"She's not out of the woods yet," Hogue said in discussing the severity of her cat's brutal injuries. "She's still coughing."
For some time, "Meme" was so afraid that she "wouldn't come out from under a bed," Hogue said. "She wouldn't eat'; she wouldn't drink. She's very weak. She lost a lot of blood."
Since giving birth last year, "Meme" has been spayed, Hogue said. She said all three of her cats have been permitted to go outside, but "never stray very far" from the residence.
"'Meme' is a little bitty thing," Hogue said with tears in her eyes. "She's not mean."
Hogue, who is a licensed social worker with the McKean County Children's and Youth Services Agency, said "Meme" is a "nice little cat" who didn't deserve to be shot in the face.
"This is animal cruelty," Hogue said. "It's sad that somebody would do this to her."
Hogue said she "feels bad" for the person who shot her pet cat because "they must have anger in their heart."
Although she's hurt that someone would harm her small pet cat, Hogue said she plans to "pray for the person who did it."
"I'm a Christian and you're supposed to pray for your enemies," she said.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 July 2010 )
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