Cat found covered in gasoline, shot with pellet gun

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a woman's cat was found doused in gasoline with two pellet facial wounds, believed to have been fired from an air rifle.

7-month-old Kane is recovering after becoming the target of a cruel act.

“I was really upset," Kane's owner, Jennifer Reule said. "Because I can’t understand why anyone would do this to any animal.”

Relue’s four-legged friend is considered family. He was found soaking wet on her doorstep late Thursday night.

“My husband grabbed him real quick," Reule said. "And he came near me. You could smell the oil or the gasoline smell and so we rushed him to the bathroom and put him in the tub and tried to wash it off.”

Reule and her husband later noticed two wounds on Kane’s face. One was above his eye and the other was on his cheek, where the pellet was still intact.

“My brain can’t even comprehend why somebody would do this," Reule said. "What is wrong with you?”

Reule gently removed a pellet from the wound. She worries the person who shot him may have been planning to set him on fire.

“I can’t even imagine why someone would want to burn a cat," Reule said. "What's purpose is there? Why are you trying to hurt an innocent animal?”

Reule filed a report with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Friday, who took the pellet into evidence. If caught, the person responsible could face felony charges.

“If you have a problem with my cat or any other cat, there’s other ways to go about it," Reule said.

Anyone with information about what happened is asked to contact the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.