Pinball the cat bouncing back after being shot, losing leg

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A furry friend is cozying up in a new home this Thanksgiving as he is on the mend after being shot. The bullet shattered one of his legs and forced vets to amputate it.

However, like his name; Pinball the cat is still bouncing around.

“Someone purposefully shot him. Luckily, they only got his leg, but if it’d been a few inches higher he likely would not have survived,” Heather Clyde with Homeward Animal Shelter said.

Pinball came to the shelter last week where Clyde says she knew right away something was wrong.

“He was not putting weight on his right front leg,” she said.

X-rays later confirmed it was a .22 caliber bullet that was lodged in Pinball’s leg. Clyde says unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the shelter has taken in a cat used as target practice.

“They’re just trying to live like the rest of us, so why do we need to shoot them, or torture them or all of the things that can happen to outdoor cats?” she said.

Fortunately, Pinball isn’t fazed by his new life as a tripod.

Clyde urges other cat owners to heed Pinball’s story as an important warning not to let your cats outside, and says to those who choose to target pets like Pinball: “Karma’s a real thing, so.”

Pinball is now with a foster family as his stitches heal up. Once recovered, Pinball will go up for adoption at Homeward. For more information on how to apply to adopt an animal at the shelter, click here.

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