Woman Believes Beloved Cat Was Shot By Pellet Gun In Southold

SOUTHOLD, NY — A Southold family believes that their beloved pet cat was shot by someone with a pellet gun recently.

"Do not let your cat outside if you live near Highpoint Meadows in Southold," Gabrielle Standish wrote on Facebook. "If you know me, you know this cat is my world."

According to Standish, there are "holes" in her cat Boy's head, caused by someone "actively shooting cats in our neighborhood with a pellet gun."

She added, "Please spread the word. Keep our animals safe from disgusting predators."

In an interview with Patch, Standish said she had a "suspicion" of who the culprit might be, but so far, "there is no proof." However, she said, "threats have been made before in the past. We’ve had other cats come home injured, but we weren't sure or never knew why they always came home injured. We thought it was an animal bite or twigs. But it's all starting to make sense."

The cul de sac where she lives, Standish said, is a close-knit neighborhood.

Standish said she has not yet filed a police report or seen a vet to confirm that it is, in fact, a shot from a pellet gun.

She hasn't filed the report because she lives in New York City and her family discovered the wound late at night; her mom, she added, planned to report the incident to police, as well as take the cat to the vet for a full examination. Her father, she said, is experienced with animals and believes it's not a bite or a twig-related injury.

"We are almost 100% certain its a shot from a possible pellet gun," Standish said, adding that Boy was found to also have a hole in his eye recently.

Her cat, she said, is wounded but seems to be in good spirits. He's a 4-year old coon who was adopted from the North Fork Animal Welfare League in Southold and is in the process of being trained as an emotional support animal.

"He's a love," she said.

Photo courtesy Gabrielle Standish.