Pregnant cat recovering from gunshot; veterinarian offers $1K reward to find shooter



PLYMOUTH, Pa. -- A pregnant cat is recovering after someone shot her in the leg over the weekend – yet another act of animal cruelty in a Pennsylvania borough where residents are trying to track down the person responsible.

The friendly shorthaired cat named Pandora had already lost a lot of blood before she was found near an intersection in Plymouth Saturday, according to WNEP.  She was rushed to Pittston Animal Hospital where Dr. Inayat Kathio and the veterinary staff managed to save her life.

"(The) bullet…fractured the cat's long bone and a tendon and cut some blood vessels," Dr. Kathio explained. "It was infected, too, and if I didn't perform surgery, gangrene would've set in and the cat would have lost its leg and ultimately lost its life."

Dr. Kathio, who did emergency surgery on Pandora, is offering a $1,000 reward for more information on who shot Pandora.

"Do you realize the pain when the bullet hits bone and hit the tendon?" Dr. Kathio said. "The animal can feel the pain like we can feel the pain."

Dr. Kathio told WNEP he has treated six cats suffering from gunshot wounds this year, including three from Plymouth. He hopes the reward will lead to justice for Pandora and the other cats.

"One was shot with an arrow from here, came out from the other side. Another cat's jaw was blown off."



Mary Fromel and Jeff Hollock are a part of "Whisker's World," a nonprofit animal rescue group. They were visiting family when they first saw the cat under a car.

"I stretched the leg out to see what kind of wound it was and the light so happened to catch a bullet sticking out of the leg," Fromel said.

The cat was found just under a car next to a tan brick wall on Parrish Street.

"I am angry," said Mary Fromel. "I am very angry that someone would go to this extent to harm an animal."

Pandora continues her post-surgery recovery at Pittston Animal Hospital, and Dr. Kathio said she's already able to walk, despite the severe injury.

Officials with Whisker's World tell WNEP they along with the SPCA are investigating this incident.