Animal welfare charity Paw Justice is warning of growing anti-cat sentiment and violence, following a spate of domestic cat shootings in recent times.
By Charlie Dreaver
Pablo the cat was shot six times with a pellet gun in the Auckland town of Clevedon last week.
His owners, Jordan Young and Bayleigh Sangster, said they went searching when he failed to return home on Tuesday.
Young said the following day, he was driving home after hours of searching when he spotted Pablo "crawling up the driveway".
"He just collapsed to the ground in relief that he was safe."
The one-year-old was rushed to the vets, where he received lifesaving surgery and spent several days in intensive care.
"Four of the pellets hit, I think it was, five of his internal organs – his colon being the worst," Sangster said.
"One of the pellets came within half a centimetre of his central aorta."
Young said: "One shot is disgusting, but six shots is just beyond belief."
Despite his injuries, Sangster said Pablo's "spirits were high".
"[The specialists] expect him to make a full recovery."
It was unknown who shot Pablo, whose owners said doesn’t venture far from home.
Medical bills have now added up to more than $22,000, with the couple thanking those who had donated money towards Pablo’s care.
"We would hate this situation for another family who might not be able to have access to funds be put into a situation, where they need to put the cat down due to the cost of it," Sangster said.
The pair said their veterinarian surgeon had dealt with three similar cases in the past year alone in his 12-year career.
'She could have died there'
Last week, another cat called Isabele was also shot with a pellet gun in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.
The black and white feline was found injured and hiding in a storm drain.
"She could have just died there," her owner Pam O’Grady said.
"We thought it might have been a dog who grabbed her, but it wasn't till she had the X-rays that we knew they were bullets."
Isabele was shot four times – three of the pellets were still lodged inside her when she arrived at the vet.
In a statement, police told 1News an investigation had been launched after a report was filed on August 1 but had exhausted all leads.
"However, if any new information comes to light, police are open to reassessing the matter," a police spokesperson said.
'Hunting people's cats down'
The shootings have prompted warnings from Paw Justice, as founder Craig Dunn said anti-cat violence was rising.
"We're seeing it weekly. We're seeing people's cats going missing, people's cats getting shot, people's cats being poisoned," Dunn said.
Last year, feral cats were added to the predator-free targeted species list, aimed at protecting native wildlife.
However, Dunn said some people are using it as an excuse to harm and kill pets.
"So, you've got this ideology out there that people that don't like cats are now going out and just hunting people's cats down."
Dunn called for the Government to intervene.
"Well, [Conservation Minister Tama Potaka] needs to come and talk to the welfare groups and sit down and have a hui and get some ideas," he said.
'Absolutely no justification'
In a statement, Potaka said that any deliberate harm to someone’s pet was completely unacceptable.
"The Government’s Predator Free 2050 work targets feral cats, not companion cats. Our strategy is explicit that companion cats are loved members of New Zealand families and will never be targeted by predator-free work," he said.
Potaka said feral cats caused serious harm to our native wildlife, but added that their control must be carefully managed, humane and effective.
"There is absolutely no justification for anyone using this work as an excuse to harm a pet."
He urged anyone who believed their cat has been deliberately harmed to report it to police or the SPCA.
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