Cat Shot With Arrow

If cats have nine lives, this one is down to eight.

A stray cat living in Mobile's Municipal Park was captured Thursday night after it was spotted with an arrow in its chest.

"We're not really sure what's going on, but we just know it is an atrocity," says Susan Young of the Azalea City Cat Coalition.

Young says the cat, which was living among dozens of other strays in a drainage ditch, was shot sometime between Sunday night or early Monday morning. Volunteers spent most of the week trying to catch the cat, but they weren't successful until yesterday.

"A green and black arrow was sticking out of its chest," says Young. "It was obviously shot intentionally, and it was in daylight running around the park."

This isn't the first time an animal in the park has been used for target practice. In February, a witness claimed to see two young men shoot out the eyes of at least three cats and kill several others. Young hopes a $1,000 reward will lead to an arrest.

"It's very scary because it indicates to me that there are sociopathic people living in the community," says Young.

The Azalea City Cat Coalition is a non-profit group that operates a trap and release program to spay, neuter and vaccinate stray cats.

Donations to cover the cat's medical expenses can be sent to
P.O. Box 1612
Mobile, Alabama 36633.