Cruel thugs shoot a cat through the head with an ARROW – but the tabby miraculously survives the ordeal
- Cupid was found after wandering with the 5ft arrow in his head for a week
- Vets in Virginia operated on him for 5 hours but he’s still not out of the woods
- The wooden rod may have missed his arteries and organs but his rescuers are concerned he could develop an infection
A cat has miraculously survived being shot through the head with an arrow after rescuers operated on him over the weekend in West Virginia.
The young orange tabby is believed to have been shot with a wooden arrow around a week before he was discovered on Valentine’s Day in West Virginia, close to the Virginia border.
He was named Cupid by his rescuers, who couldn’t believe how affectionate he was while in overwhelming pain.
Cupid, pictured before his operation, was picked up at a location in West Virginia with a 5ft arrow sticking from his eye on Valentine’s Day
The cat was transported to a sanctuary in nearby Virginia (pictured) over the weekend, where he underwent two hours of surgery to remove the bar of wood
Vets plied him with pain medication to stop the young cat’s pain, and gave him additional antibiotics in an attempt to curb an infection. Pictured: Cupid being operated on by the vets in Virginia over the weekend
The rescuers who first stumbled on the afflicted tabby was the Potomac Highlands Animal Rescue Group, but they were unable to fund the ongoing care he needed.
They contacted the nearby AWLA in Virginia, who said they ‘knew we had to step and see if we could save his life’, after seeing pictures of the poor creature.
‘How could we say no?’ the AWLA said in a Facebook post.
The cat was then transported to the AWLA, where he was checked over by a vet and provided with medicine to stop the pain.
‘When he arrived and we opened his crate, we’re kind of shocked to see this cat with an arrow shift sticking out of his face, is making biscuits …. That’s when cats knead their paws,’ Chelsea Jones, communications specialist at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Virginia – the organisation who treated the cat – told WTOP.
‘It’s a very comforting, positive behavior. And he was purring, and he wanted us to scratch his tummy and his chin. And we just could not believe that this cat was being so affectionate and friendly in how much pain he must be in.’
After naming the wounded cat, a vet performed surgery to withdraw the 5ft arrow shaft from his head, which took around two hours.
The rescuers in Virginia said Cupid remained affectionate despite the immense pain he was in over the weekend, which is why they chose the name
Cupid is pictured after the 5ft arrow shaft was removed from his eye over the weekend in Virginia
Pictured: The rod that luckily managed to miss all of Cupid’s major arteries and organs after it was pulled with pliers from the cat over the weekend
Luckily, the arrow was found to have missed all of Cupid’s major organs and arteries, but there was still a concern that he could develop a serious infection after the thugs wounded him.
According to WTOP, Cupid’s wounds were scrubbed and he’s now in a much better condition.
However, the AWLA said he still has a long way to go.
Vets are pictured operating on the young tabby in Virginia over the weekend
Pictured: Cupid wrapped in a blanket after the arrow was removed and his wound stitched up by vets in Virginia over the weekend
‘This was a very intense surgery for a young, underweight cat,’ the organization said.
‘At this point we cannot 100 per cent guarantee he will make it through this ordeal, but we are doing everything we can to save his life, and this little guy is a fighter.’
The pictures were posted to Facebook to request help from the public to raise money for the organization, to help with Cupid and any animals who may need help in the future.