Friendly neighborhood cat found with arrow through its eye in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Neighbors in Bellevue are outraged after they said a friendly neighborhood cat was found with an arrow in its eye.
Tim Wyatt said the cat, now named “Harrow,” showed up at his back door on Memorial Day morning with a crossbow arrow straight through its eye.
“This cat was by our back door and was found shot in the eye with a cross bow," Wyatt said. "We tried to catch it so we could help it out. We weren’t able to. It was pretty terrified."
Tim and his wife tried to capture the cat, who was found in the Cross Timbers neighborhood, but it scattered.
The Wyatts then posted on their neighborhood’s Next Door app. Within 30 minutes on a holiday, people had come together and caught the cat.
"I never would’ve thought when we found that cat this morning, that within three hours the cat would be captured, at a vet and getting treatment," Wyatt said. "It’s Memorial Day. It’s a holiday. People just came together. We’ve been getting constant messages from neighbors about how the cat is doing."
Kristina West with the non-profit animal rescue Proverbs 12:10 immediately contacted the family after hearing about the post. She was able to take Harrow to a veterinarian in Burns, Tenn. where the cat still remains, sedated.
"The cat is stable," West said. "I took the cat to Burns, Tennessee, and it is in a clinic, sedated, IV fluid. They cut the arrow down, stabilized him, and he’ll have surgery tomorrow."
X-Rays only show part of the arrow as it’s plastic and doesn’t show up on scans. This means veterinarians won’t know how far the arrow went into the cat's skull until it’s surgically removed on Tuesday.
Right now, vets say the arrow could have hit Harrow’s brain or gone through his mouth.
Proverbs is paying for all of Harrow’s medical needs. The non-profit is always accepting donations to take care of their rescued animals.
As for the possible perpetrator, Tim says he filed a police report and is offering an award for anyone who knows information about the person who might have shot Harrow.
"Someone who would do this is pretty cruel," Wyatt said. "I expect better out of people around here or anywhere. It’s pure cruelty to an animal to do something like that and leave it injured and we don’t know how long this thing has been hurt."
After his recovery, Harrow will be up for adoption through Proverbs. Click here for more information.
FOX 17 News reached out to Metro Police and are waiting to hear back.
