Cat found shot with an arrow in its back in Pinellas County; detectives search for culprit

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is looking for the person who they say shot a cat with an arrow.

On January 31, the private organization Cat Trap Fever Inc. trapped the cat and took it to a veterinarian for medical treatment.

The cat was found near 72nd Avenue North and 33rd Street North in St. Petersburg.

Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

Since the cat’s rescue by the Cat Trap Fever organization last Wednesday, he has undergone two surgeries, but his fate is still unknown.

"Hopefully he makes it, but we're still guarded because the heartbreak is too much," Jessica Kelly, with Cat Trap Fever told FOX 13. "This is quite out of the ordinary for us, but being hit by an arrow and being alive, going through surgery and now a feeding tube and being alive… we’ve just got to give him the best chance because humanity has already let him down."

Veterinarians were able to remove the arrow, but the cat has had to undergo additional surgery and is listed in serious condition, according to the sheriff's office.

"Provided he survives another miracle, he will be placed up for adoption, so he will be an indoor only, forever kitty, so he will never risk being on the other side of an arrow," Kelly said, who is housing him during his recovery. 

The arrow is described as a black Wicked Ridge arrow with yellow fletching and an orange nock.

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Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. 

Detectives canvassed the neighborhood and spoke with neighbors, who said the cat is a neighborhood cat and "super friendly."

Anyone with any information is asked to call Detective McKee at 727-582-5827.