Cat in need of lifesaving surgery is third recently brought to shelter with a gunshot wound

TACOMA, Wash. — A cat found shot in Tacoma is the third in recent months to be brought to a South Sound animal shelter with a gunshot wound.

The 9-month-old cat, now named Pearl, was brought to the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County by Tacoma Animal Control on July 28. She has a .22-caliber bullet lodged in her chest. It cut a nerve and she can no longer move her neefront right leg.

According to the shelter, Pearl is the third cat in five months to be brought to the shelter needing urgent treatment after being shot.

In April, a cat that was shot in the leg was brought to the shelter with a shattered femur. A few weeks later, another cat was brought to the shelter with a BB gun wound to his head, which caused irreparable damage to his eye.

Shelter veterinarians were able to treat both cats, but because her injury is severe and the damage is permanent, Pearl needs to have an amputation as soon as possible to prevent more damage and a life of pain.

The Humane Society said donations for her surgery are needed immediately. You can make a donation on the shelter’s website at https://www.thehumanesociety.org/day-of-giving/.

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