An X-ray showed a bullet in the kitten's hip. Photo / Supplied
An X-ray showed a bullet in the kitten's hip. Photo / Supplied
The owner of a kitten shot in Western Heights has been left "horrified" and facing substantial vet bills.
The 4-month-old kitten Sassy survived the incident two weeks ago, but may now lose her leg after an X-ray revealed her bone had been "completely shattered" by the shot.
Owner Karina MacKaysaid: "I was just horrified - I just couldn't believe that someone would do that.
"She's this 4-month-old little baby who had been dumped and then got shot by someone."
"It's cost me a lot of money - it's going to cost me a lot more money as well but it's just heartbreaking that people can be so horrible."
MacKay has one other cat and two dogs and was concerned about her other pets in the suburban neighbourhood where she lives. She had recently moved to the area and was not aware of any similar incidents.
"We only bought the property in August so it's a real shock to us. We were living in Ngongotahā before that and never had any problems with our animals."
MacKay said she had reported the incident to the SPCA.
The 4-month-old kitten, Sassy, has had an operation but she may still lose her leg. Photo / Supplied
On the night of March 18, MacKay said Sassy came into her room "crying and crying".
She noticed a "tiny little dot of blood" on her but assumed she had been in a fight with another cat.
On March 21, MacKay took Sassy to Vetora Ngongotahā where the vet also thought she had been in a fight. The vet gave her antibiotics and pain relief.
But on March 25, MacKay took her to Vetora Rotorua after Sassy was referred for an X-ray.
She was told it was "way worse than we think".
"I just saw the X-ray ... she had a bullet in her hip."
MacKay said Sassy had an operation where the vet put a pin through her bone and a plate around the outside of her femur. Sassy also had eight screws put in her femur.
Sassy was "healing well" but it would take about three months for her bone to heal.
If it did not heal, her leg may need to be amputated, MacKay said.
She did not want to detail her theory about how Sassy was shot.
Looking at the X-ray, Vetora Rotorua lead companion animal vet Laura Gallagher said the pellet looked like it came from an air rifle.
She understood air rifles were "often the same" as BB guns.
"Sometimes I think it's just young people out there and they're just looking for something to do. Maybe they think they're shooting possums, I don't know."
Although Sassy had been operated on, there was an "increased risk" of infection because of the nature of the wound. Sassy could end up losing her leg as a result, she said.
If people had injured animals and it seemed a human had been involved, Gallagher advised them to report it to the SPCA, the police or animal control.
Gallagher said she had been a vet for 22 years and had seen about 10 cats shot during her career.
"It happens far more than you'd think it would happen."
