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Sad Story - Would Like Your Opinion

post #1 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:26am
Thread Starter 
Hello. I am new here - and I am a cat lover. I currently have 9 indoor/outdoor cats and approx 7 outdoor (by their choice) cats - all strays that we have had spayed or neutered. Yesterday morning I went outside to feed the outdoor cats (and let any cat in who wanted in) and found one of my indoor/outdoor cats laying dead on the snow. He was laying on his side with front legs together and straight out, and back legs the same. He looked like he was sleeping - but he was not. He only had one wound - a hole in the middle of his chest about the thickness of a little finger. There was VERY little blood under him, and no trail of blood around him.

I think he was shot some where else and the person brought him to our back yard and laid him there for me to find. My husband disagrees with me. He thinks he jumped down from somewhere (?) on to a stick or something and was pierced. He says if it was a bullet that there would be an exit wound.

I really do not believe that a cat with a mortal wound would simply lay down on cold solid packed snow and pass away.... I have only had one other cat in my life pass away outside of the vet's office, and he died while having seizures.

I know that knowing how Pita (affectionatley stands for Pain In The A** because he was so loving he had to be on you or next to you whenever possible) passed will not bring him back, but if he was shot then I want to inform some official that this has happened, and all cats that I can get inside will STAY inside no matter how much they want out.

Sorry for such a long post, but I am torn up about this, and just can't let it go.
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post #2 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:36am
I'm so sorry for your loss

Who knows for sure but to me it does sound like a shot. I know when I was a kid our cat was shot by the neighbor with a BB gun (there was no exit wound).

Is there a way you could have the vet do a necropsy? If they do find that he was shot the police should be notified.

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post #3 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
We still have Pita - he is 'buried' in a barrel of snow until we can do a proper burial in the spring. I was thinking of calling my vet to see what he thinks we should do. I hate to think of him cutting Pita up - but maybe he can tell by just looking and doing some minimal exploring. Thank you for your kind reply.
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post #4 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:44am
That is so terrible. I'm also very sorry for your loss.
I agree with Miss Mew, if its a BB gun or toy it doesn't necessarily need to have exit wound because the force wouldn't be as strong as a real gun.

I think you should update the authorities anyway, there might be a similar case in the neighborhood that they have gotten notice of from someone else.

In the meantime, keeping your cats inside is a good idea.
On a brighter note, welcome to the forums! Keep us updated.
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post #5 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:53am
Oh you poor dear and I am sick about your cat. When I hear these awful stories, I cry, I can't help it. It sounds like your cat was shot and that is wierd it was laying in the snow like that. If it was injured in some other way, I think it would have come closer to the house or gone under somewhere to hide and pass away. This sounds like an evil person who doesn't like all the cats around your area. I wonder if you could take the body of your dear cat to the vet so he could give you an explanation and then you would know if you should contact the police. I know that would be just an awfully hard thing for you to do, I don't know if I could. But, then you would have an answer as to if it was a bullet. I am sorry.....

I worry about that in my neighborhood. I care for ferals and the neighbors are not happy with me. I would keep all of your cats inside if you can at least the tame ones because I fear this might happen again. I cannot believe all the cruelty in this world and what crazy psycho people do to cats. They are not human beings with a heart.

I am so sorry for you, you are a great meowmy and are doing what you can for these stray cats. Some things we just can't control.
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post #6 of 38
2/1/11 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Thank you. It just astounds me that anyone would purposely hurt an animal. The other kitties are not going to be happy, but I guess the snow and ice storm we are expecting will get them all in - and then they will stay in!!
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post #7 of 38
2/1/11 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
Oh you poor dear and I am sick about your cat. When I hear these awful stories, I cry, I can't help it. It sounds like your cat was shot and that is wierd it was laying in the snow like that. If it was injured in some other way, I think it would have come closer to the house or gone under somewhere to hide and pass away. This sounds like an evil person who doesn't like all the cats around your area. I wonder if you could take the body of your dear cat to the vet so he could give you an explanation and then you would know if you should contact the police. I know that would be just an awfully hard thing for you to do, I don't know if I could. But, then you would have an answer as to if it was a bullet. I am sorry.....

I worry about that in my neighborhood. I care for ferals and the neighbors are not happy with me. I would keep all of your cats inside if you can at least the tame ones because I fear this might happen again. I cannot believe all the cruelty in this world and what crazy psycho people do to cats. They are not human beings with a heart.

I am so sorry for you, you are a great meowmy and are doing what you can for these stray cats. Some things we just can't control.
You said everything I feel. I am so sorry you lost your kitty this way. Maybe you could think of it as Pitas legacy to find out if it is a bullet. That knowledge could save another cat.

There are such evil people out there. Sometimes I just cry.

God bless your little one. Pita is in very good company at the Rainbow Bridge.
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post #8 of 38
2/1/11 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by erinroro View Post
Thank you. It just astounds me that anyone would purposely hurt an animal. The other kitties are not going to be happy, but I guess the snow and ice storm we are expecting will get them all in - and then they will stay in!!
These people are simply sick. They have issues and they take it out on others that are easy victims.

I forget the exact quote but it goes something like this, Sometimes you must force people to be happy. They might not like the house arrest but they will be safe and you won't have to worry about their well-being.

Best wishes!
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post #9 of 38
2/1/11 at 10:11am
Yes, it is always astounding how horrible people can be to defenseless animals.

Whatever happened, I am so, so sorry.

I would take him to the vet - to see what they can tell from an examination.
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post #10 of 38
2/1/11 at 10:14am
Thread Starter 
Thank you all for your kind words and feelings! Pita does in fact have lots of wonderful companions with him at the Rainbow Bridge! As a matter of fact, one of his 'brothers' just went there last month. My Glenwood kitty had an inoperable tumor in his tummy and had to be put to sleep. We held off as long as he could stay comfortable, but that ended on Dec. 30th. Some of my first cats are up there - Ajax, Brach, C-Cat, Demon, and Ferryl. Also some outside strays that we took care of JC (Joe's Cat), Scruffy cat, Spade-nosed Cat, and Fluffy-mama.

I miss each and every one of them! Isn't it wonderful that the Big Cat in the sky gave us hearts big enough to love so many wonderful animals?!?!?
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post #11 of 38
2/1/11 at 10:47am
I am so sorry. People are such !!! Where on Pita was the hole? Jumping onto a stick would only create a hole on the bottom of the chest/stomach region (it would create a jageed scratch anywhere else due to the direction of force). A hole on the sides or top was not caused by jumping down onto something. This is awful, but can you check further away from your house for signs of blood? Animals will lose a majority of their blood right away since that is when the pressure is highest, and may not bleed out at all after a while in cold weather (blood will freeze in a wound opening, sometimes while hunting I have to follow a deer trail for half a mile after blood stops to find it). Also, the wound doesn't have to be bad enough to kill, it just needs to be bad enough for an entire cold night to finish the job, so the shot could look minor. That would also explain the curled up position you found Pita in. Again, I am sorry for these graphic thoughts, I do not know how to gently breach this subject.
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post #12 of 38
2/1/11 at 11:06am
Pinky width size hole sounds like a .22. Common gauge, many people have .22s - and depending on the type of gun firing it, there wouldn't have been that much noise.
Depending on angle hit, there wouldn't have been an exit wound but the entrance wound would be very clean and there wouldn't necessarily be much blood. Do a necropsy, they'll find the bullet. (In case anyone is wondering, I've had to care for a cat that had a .22 wound. He survive being shot clean through, though.)

Sorry to tell you this, but you have to find someway to contain all of the cats. Build an enclosure or cat proof fence your yard. You have a sick person in the neighborhood.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Do you have any neighbors that have complained to you before? or perhaps some with a lot of landscaping that would be disgruntled over cats pooping in it?
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post #13 of 38
2/1/11 at 11:54am
A vet in Florida recently (January 28) posted an entry about necropsy on her blog, Fully Vetted. Patty Khuly VMD explained what it is and why it might be done. Here's a link:

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvett...e_pet_necropsy

It doesn't sound as if your poor cat would need anything much beyond a physical examination (no toxicology.)

The benefits - peace of mind for you in knowing what happened, and - if your cat was shot - you could notify the police.

If shot, please consider writing a letter to the newspaper so other pet owners are alerted to the lunatic idiot who did this.

This is so sad, and so difficult for you. My condolences and sympathy for your loss.
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post #14 of 38
2/1/11 at 12:45pm
Thread Starter 
Dear New Friends,
Thank you all for your responses! I feel so much better - I thought people might think me morbid for discussing the details of Pita's death - but you all seem to understand what I am going through.

I appreciate the details that rad65 and strange_wings provided re: entry wound. The wound was in his chest between his front legs - it was NOT on his belly! That really seems to lead more towards a gunshot wound rather than a stick. I spoke with my vet and he did not think a BB would do it, he said it sounded like a .22 based on the size of the hole. I am going to bring the cat in and he will look him over to see what he thinks. I told that I was going to call the police if we found out it was a bullet. He said that is fine if I want to, but he knows from personal experience that they will do nothing unless I saw someone do it. (We live in a very small town.)

I have only one neighbor that complained about the cats 18 months ago. She said she did not want the cats in her yard. I offered to put up a fence, but she did not want that. Because I do lots of things for her (and her extended family that live in the house - this includes picking her grandkids up from daycare sometimes) I was not going to back down. When she said that she did not have pets because she did not want poop in her yard, I said that maybe the reason I did not have kids was because I did not want kids running in my yard! That is not the reason, but it did shut her up. I don't think she would have done it - especially because it is a snowy winter and my husband plows her driveway for her!

The thing that confuses me is that I firmly believe that whoever did it brought the cat back to me. If they were really mean, they would have let me think the cat had run away..... Pita was not curled up, but but laying with his back straight, and legs together and perpendicular to his body.. Just like someone placed him that way.

Most of the outside cats sleep in the garage of my other nextdoor neighbors house. A local judge lives there and has a 'milk chute' kind of thing on bottom of one of the garage walls. The kitties run in there and sleep. My husband has built a shelter right outside our backdoor that has sleeping cubicles for upto 10 cats. It has his boat on top as a ceiling and has tarps etc covering the back of the cubicles to the ground. That is another thing that is so strange. Why wasn't Pita in there if he was hurt - instead of outside on the snow?

Sorry to go on for so long, but it feels so good to be able to talk about it with people who don't think I am nuts.....
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post #15 of 38
2/1/11 at 1:06pm
You said Pita's body was laying in the snow? Were there any shoe prints across the yard? It's hard to hide your tracks in the winter with snow on the ground.

Sadly, I think Pita may have just been trying to get home and couldn't go any further.

I sort of doubt the one neighbor you mentioned, too. IMO look more for a guy in his older 20s-50s range. A home owner. Women, though not all of them, are more likely to trap and take a cat to a shelter/AC, complain, or have someone else do something.

I assume your judge neighbor likes the cats? If so was Pita friendly with him? Because if you find proof your cat was shot you may have an ally in him, and one with some clout in the county.
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post #16 of 38
2/1/11 at 1:09pm
I would let the vet do the autopsy and then have the cat cremated. If he finds a bullet, he should bag it for you so you can take it someone to find out exactly what type of gun fired it.

That is so sad and I am so very sorry about your cat.

A not so funny story: When I was a kid, I had this wonderful dog named Roscoe (my first Roscoe doggy...I have another dog named Rosco now in his memory) and my neighbor (a boy my age) would always shoot him with a bb gun. My poor dog would come home riddled with bullet wounds, but it was never enough to actually kill him...just hurt him and cause him to get infections and limp. He was an outdoor dog and a stray. My mom never would let him stay inside and he just wasn't an inside dog anyway.

Well, one day, my poor dog came home bloody on his back - my neighbor had dumped a pan of scalding hot water on the dog. I had had enough. I went outside with my mom's 22 rifle and missed my neighbor's head by about 4 inches! It hit the tree beside him. Now, in hindsight, that was a REALLY STUPID thing for me to do. I was about 12 and should have never had my mom's rifle and I could have KILLED him...which would have been horrible. However, I missed (praise God) and my neighbor decided it was not a good idea to ever shoot at or pour hot water on my dog again.

To this day, I still hate that boy for what he did to my dog. It was over 20 years ago!
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post #17 of 38
2/1/11 at 1:57pm
This might sound stupid... but do people around you hunt? You say you're in a rural area. Around here, people hunt. And rabbit hunting is not uncommon. And using a .22 to rabbit hunt is common. Is there enough snow a cat would have been "hopping" through it? The other day, I mistook a rabbit for one of the ferals in our colony at first - and one of our cats for a rabbit. The snow is so thick around here, it slows the rabbits down and makes the cats hop sometimes.

Maybe it's someone that accidentally shot your cat - and that's why kitty was put in your yard? I assume all the neighbors know that you're the cat lady?

Too many of us have seen cats intentionally hurt, but if you're up north and not in the south... I can see a potential accident.

And no, we don't think you're morbid or nuts. We all dearly love and often obsess about our cats, and are here to help and support each other.

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post #18 of 38
2/1/11 at 2:18pm
I do agree with the possibility of being mistaken for a rabbit, fox, etc and was shot by a hunter. But I highly doubt that the accidental shooter/hunter would take the time to come and lay the cat in the yard??!! Probably would just leave it where it was shot and run off paranoid hoping no one saw?? I do think this was a sick message from some psycho cat hater who intentionally laid the cat in the yard. And yes, of course, if the cat was injured it would have gone to shelter or under a deck or close to the house to die and you might have never even known what happened to Pita if that were the case.

Make sure you get a picture, since you are going through with the exam on the body. If you can't take the photo, the vet will do it for you and keep the bullet if there is one. Then go file the report and start warning other cat lovers in the area about a crazed cat killer. I too would then have the cat cremated, but that is your decision. Poor Pita, I am so sorry and will be waiting for the vet's findings. I do hope we are all wrong, I guess it is possible, will wait to here from you and may the "force" be with you
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post #19 of 38
2/1/11 at 2:19pm
I would get the vet to examine the cat's body. If your cat was shot, there needs to be a record of it and some investigating done.
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post #20 of 38
2/1/11 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
This might sound stupid... but do people around you hunt? You say you're in a rural area. Around here, people hunt. And rabbit hunting is not uncommon. And using a .22 to rabbit hunt is common. Is there enough snow a cat would have been "hopping" through it? The other day, I mistook a rabbit for one of the ferals in our colony at first - and one of our cats for a rabbit. The snow is so thick around here, it slows the rabbits down and makes the cats hop sometimes.

Maybe it's someone that accidentally shot your cat - and that's why kitty was put in your yard? I assume all the neighbors know that you're the cat lady?

Too many of us have seen cats intentionally hurt, but if you're up north and not in the south... I can see a potential accident.

And no, we don't think you're morbid or nuts. We all dearly love and often obsess about our cats, and are here to help and support each other.

I agree with Laurie. I may have been an accident. The person felt bad and thought you deserved to know your kitty was gone.

I am so sorry for your loss
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post #21 of 38
2/1/11 at 3:52pm
Could you bring Pita to the vet? A vet would know if that is a gun shot wound or not.

I'm so sorry about the way Pita died.

Maybe it was some kind of hunting accident? or it could have been done on purpose. You really should keep your other cats inside just incase so they'll be safe.
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post #22 of 38
2/2/11 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
Yes, the people around me do hunt, and Pita could have been hopping through the snow.... I really never thought about that. I hate to think that there is a sicko around here. Plus I have had all of these cats for 2 1/2 years - so why start hurting them now?

I will get Pita into the vet.... but I think I am going to have to wait until my husband can take him during office hours. I really do not think I am up to carrying his body in to the Dr office. Right now Pita is in a bag, in a barrel that has snow all around, bottom and top. My husband is as sad and confused as I am, so I know that he will want to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.

Thank you all for your posts - I am SO glad that I joined this forum!

I will post a picture of Pita as soon as I figure out how to do it!
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post #23 of 38
2/2/11 at 11:43am
Let us know what your vet says.

As for pictures go to photobucket.com sign up with them. It's free. Upload your pictures from your computer to that sight. Then copy the image code and paste it into your post. zyou won't see the picture until you submit your post.
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post #24 of 38
2/2/11 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by erinroro View Post
Yes, the people around me do hunt, and Pita could have been hopping through the snow.... I really never thought about that. I hate to think that there is a sicko around here. Plus I have had all of these cats for 2 1/2 years - so why start hurting them now?
Well, sometimes the "upset" at whatever the cats are doing that is bothersome takes some time to make a person "snap." But it was Pita's body being left in your yard that got me thinking - it might not be a "warning," but someone who didn't want to own up to what happened, but wanted you to know.

Of course, it could be that it happened nearby, accident or not, and Pita just tried to make his way home.

Quote:
Originally Posted by erinroro View Post
I will get Pita into the vet.... but I think I am going to have to wait until my husband can take him during office hours. I really do not think I am up to carrying his body in to the Dr office. Right now Pita is in a bag, in a barrel that has snow all around, bottom and top. My husband is as sad and confused as I am, so I know that he will want to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.
I'd wait too. You'll need each other for something like that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by erinroro View Post
Thank you all for your posts - I am SO glad that I joined this forum!

I will post a picture of Pita as soon as I figure out how to do it!
You did find the right place!

...and My4LLMA's explanation should help with posting a photo! If you use Photobucket, just ignore all the "go pro" offers - their photo hosting is free.
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post #25 of 38
2/2/11 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help! I did sign up and I have a pic of Pita on my signature. Now I will try to imbed some in this posting...

Pita helping with Christmas presents~ you can see other kitties in the background



Pita playing under his favorite toy


Pita Under Toy 2 by Erin & Joe, on Flickr
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post #26 of 38
2/2/11 at 1:36pm
Oh honey, he was SO handsome!

I'm just so sorry.
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post #27 of 38
2/2/11 at 3:13pm
Oh my goodness, Pita was absolutely a darling cat. What a face!! I am so very, very sorry of this situation with him.

I have been thinking, since reading some of the posts, and now after reading your post about hunting in your area. I do wonder if someone accidentally shot your cat, and wanted you to know (and, how do I put this, at least you know what happened to Pita, and he just didn't disappear and never return, leaving you to wonder what happenned to him). It is possible, that the hunter knew you had all of the cats, and did lay the cat in your yard so you would at least know it had died.

Please keep us posted when you get news from your vet.
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post #28 of 38
2/2/11 at 3:28pm
Thread Starter 
Joe and I are having a farewell ceremony for Pita tonight.... We are going to remember his favorite things/antics/catnip/toys. We will cry, but he will live on as long as we remember him
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post #29 of 38
2/2/11 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
As I typed the last entry, another cat got 'rid' of a hairball.... I think Pita is reminding me that as much as I loved him, there are others who need my attention.... Funny how smart and loving cats are.....
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post #30 of 38
2/3/11 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
Back from the vet - the 'good' () news is that Pita was not shot. The vet says it is hard to tell exactly what happened, but it looks like Pita might have been running through the snow in the woods around our house and run into/fell onto either a stick or some other protuberance hidden in the snow. There was no residue or anything to tell what it was. The doctor thinks that the lack of blood is probably because the wound itself got packed with snow when he was coming home, and the blood in the outside of the wound froze and made a kind of plug.... So we will never know for sure what happened, but there was no exit wound and no bullet in his body.

I am so sad that a freak accident took my Pita, but I am relieved that there is no crazy person out there targeting my cats.

(But I am still keeping everybody in at night.... I am not taking ANY chances!!)

Thank you my friends! You have really helped me through this tough time. You are all
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