Zeplyn, a ginger Maine Coon from Auckland, was shot in May after filming of the fifth season of My Life Is Murder had wrapped. Photo / Greenstone TV
Zeplyn, a ginger Maine Coon from Auckland, was shot in May after filming of the fifth season of My Life Is Murder had wrapped. Photo / Greenstone TV
Lucy Lawless has called for the prosecution of the “little brood” responsible for shooting her cat co-star in My Life Is Murder.
Lawless, who has starred as the show’s protagonist since 2019, portrays the sharp and inquisitive private investigator Alexa Crowe.
Her furry co-star Zeplyn, a 5-year-old ginger Maine Cooncat from West Auckland, has starred as Chowder in the last three of the show’s four seasons since production was moved to New Zealand from Australia in 2020.
But soon after the show’s fifth season completed filming in May, Zeplyn’s owners Camille Courtois and Leda Taylor found something wasn’t quite right with him.
“We noticed he was limping on his back leg and his tail was dragging,” Courtois told the Herald.
“I’m so enraged that somebody did that to our cat ... He will never be the same again,” Lawless told Stuff, referring to the Maine Coon as “the star of the show”.
Zeplyn is showing promising signs after a five-week period of crate rest, with movement slowly returning to his tail and leg.
However, vets decided it would be too risky to remove the bullet from Zeplyn’s body, given its proximity to his nerves.
Courtois said overall, the incident has cost them over $5000 in veterinary bills.
The incident has been reported to police by Zeplyn’s owners, who have since learned at least one other cat and a kererū [wood pigeon] had also been shot in the area.
Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith with Lucy Lawless and Zeplyn on the set of My Life Is Murder in April. Photo / Facebook
Lawless said while some people in West Auckland are adamant about rigorously protecting native birds from the threat of pets, what was inflicted on Zeplyn was “brutish” in many ways.
“That is not the answer, going and shooting other people’s cats," she told Stuff.
Courtois and Taylor haven’t had any new leads regarding the perpetrator of the “heartless, gutless crime”.
However, the situation had been distressing to think about and she questioned why the person had been motivated to hurt animals in the first place.
“Justice at the very least would be a huge fine for animal cruelty,” Courtois said.
“[They should] reimburse us for the huge cost this inflicted on our family and, if he is using a licensed gun, remove his licence or fine him for holding a weapon without one.”
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