"It was a horrendous act:" Jefferson County Humane Society caring for cat shot by a bow and arrow

JEFFERSON (WITI) -- "It was a horrendous act." These words from the Jefferson County Humane Society's Director. She is caring for a cat shot by a bow and arrow.

Lisa Patefield and her staff care for about a thousand animals a year. Most of them are strays -- and they come in for all kinds of reasons.

"Moving, job transfers, divorces, don`t want any more, can`t afford, baby on the way. You name it, we get it," Patefield said.

For Patefield, some days are rewarding, while others are tough.

The day they took in Abilene the cat...was a tough day.

"Yeah, that was not a good day," Patefield said.

Abilene was discovered in Jefferson on Tuesday, July 1st. A woman found the cat in her shed.

Abilene had been shot through the shoulder with an arrow.

"It was a very long adult size, adult size arrow," Patefield said.

Abilene was immediately taken to the vet -- where they removed the arrow and replaced it with a drainage tube and stitches.

"It`s alarming, it`s shocking, it`s saddening," Patefield said.

While she can't talk, Patefield says she knows Abilene is in pain.

"You can tell by her body language that she`s very sore. It`s very swollen," Patefield said.

Abilene doesn't eat or drink much, but she's being given a lot of attention.

"I`m sure that she`ll continue to make progress, but I think it`s gonna take awhile," Patefield said.

So far, no one has claimed Abilene.

"She`s clearly somebody`s pet. She`s in great flesh. She`s not underweight or overweight. She`s pretty. She`s friendly," Patefield said.

Patefield's goal now is finding Abilene a good, loving family that she can call her own.

It is illegal to shoot a bow and arrow with the Jefferson city limits.

If you have information on who did this, you're asked to call the Jefferson Police Department at 920-617-7707.