Cat shot and killed by pellet gun, owner says
KDKA
By Ricky Sayer
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PLUM, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A domestic cat in Plum died after being shot with a pellet or BB gun, its owner said.
Ronald Amato said Ragnar, his 14-month-old orange tabby cat, was killed outside his home on Sunday. He believes the shooting was an intentional act.
“It was like a nightmare,” Amato said. “I was devastated. I was bawling my eyes out. That cat was the nicest cat you’ll ever meet. He slept with me every night.”
After being tipped off by neighborhood kids, he found Ragnar dead just outside his backyard fence on Sunday. Initially, he thought his cat had been hit by a car, but then he found what was clearly a hole in his cat.
“I felt around on the other side and felt like a pellet or a BB inside of him, so that I knew he was shot,” Amato said.
That’s when he said the sadness turned into anger.
“I’m pretty angry about it, I’m upset,” he said. “It’s kind of disbelief. I can’t believe someone would shoot a cat.”
Some of the pellets that didn’t hit his cat left marks on the siding of his garage, leading him to believe it was intentional, he said. It appeared that Ragnar had been standing on the backyard fence when he was shot.
Amato described Ragnar as an affectionate cat.
“He cuddled me constantly,” Amato said. “He constantly slept on my chest. He rubbed his face against me. When he was a kitten, he’d wake me up every morning with his wet nose on my face.”
He called the police, who said that they were investigating, including looking at security camera footage.
“I hope we can catch them,” Amato said. “People need held accountable.”
It’s especially important because there are so many other cats in the neighborhood, including Ragnar’s brother Rolo.
“I think I’m going to get a kitten, just so [Rolo] has somebody,” Amato said.
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