Man...this thread gets worse everytime I look at it. The bullet fragments should have been visible on a plain radiograph of Reva's head, I wonder why the vets didn't let you know about this until later. .22s are notorious for leaving a comet-like radio-opaque trail when they travel through tissue after striking bone, some call it a "lead shower". The type of bullet(standard or hollow) matters also. I wish I could show you a picture of it, but I can't find a site to host the pic for free. I wish your cat a speedy recovery.
Well... let me say that the vets aren't ballistic experts, it was a "high powered pellet gun" according to the HPD officer that came out... it looked a little small to be a .22. HPD said that those high powered pellet guns could kill small animals. HPD actually took the slug as evidence because they have someone that works in homicide that actually deals with animal abuse cases. You know, some serial killers abuse/kill animals as well as well as people!! Jeffrey Dahmer used to kill cats! So they have someone that studies all these cases/reports. They took my info, filed a report and took the pellet as evidence. When I reported earlier it was before I had seen the slug, when I saw it, i thought it was small but it had been a while since I'd seen a .22... the HPD officer cleared it all up. 2 officers actually came to my place, the second one, takes it upon himself to try to take all animal abuse calls in this area, he said he would've been the one to take the report, but was on another call.. but he still showed up! That was cool.
LOL, I kind of figured they weren't "ballistic experts"...heck neither am I...but I've seen my share of radiographs. Anyways here's a picture I found online...its even called "lead shower".
Reva is doing good, she had her THIRD surgery on Tuesday. They went in an re-adjusted the metal bar that basically is her mandible. She is bright eyed and I think ready to come home, but of course, the vet knows best. I think she will be home this weekend or early next week. I can't wait. She's eating and drinking and not drooling as much. She's healing up slowly and is doing fine...
I'm so glad that Reva is doing well!! Any word on catching the a-hole who did this? I'd like to shoot him in the head with a bb gun and see how he likes it!!! Oh, I forgot to ask -- which animal hospital did you go to? A local one, or did they refer you to the big hospital on 610? That's where they referred us when Fluffy had his surgery . . .
Sadly, I doubt we will ever find out who did this. We took Reva to the Yale Animal Clinic on Yale near 17th. This is our regular vet and they are really good. Dr. Gasaway is our vet and he's a real gem. His vet-partner Dr. Denny is just as good and they have provided us with years of good service.
Somehow I missed this thread when it was first posted...I'm glad to hear that Reva is doing okay, rH. I know there are plenty of cat-haters, or pet-haters in general, but some people just take it too far. My grandparents, who live about a block away from my house, have a neighbor who actually sets up a freakin <i>cat trap</i> in his back-yard. Any time one gets caught, he calls the pound to come take it away...even if it has a collar. I've never met the guy, or even seen him, and I probably don't ever want to. I can't even imagine how pissed I would be if my cat was caught by this b*stard and turned in. Cruel, cruel people.
Man that is so sad .. I hope Reva has a full recovery .. I would be devastated if anything ever happened to my kitty,Bubbles.I always worry about cars when she is out.. but never thought of something like this. Reva is a beautiful cat (looks just like mine)and I'll be wishing the best for her. Bubbles
Just saw this thread today. rH, I'm sorry that you & Reva had to go through something like this. As far as looking for a culprit, it really could be anybody in your neighborhood. Many years ago, this girl that I was going after told me about how her sister put poison in a milk dish in her backyard to get rid of pesky cats that alway wondered in. I couldn't believe what I was hearing because I've met her sister before and she appeared to be a nice person. She was educated and works as an engineer for a pipeline firm. So, don't be just looking out for rednecks, the shooter can be anyone. I do hope you find him/her.
Ewwwww sorry to hear that.... when i was like 5 i saw my dog get hit by a truck so i feel your pain!!! Hope she gets better !!!
Reva was released from the vet today, Sat 10/5, but she will have to go back on Monday for her final surgery. They will remove the metal bar and hopefully she will return to some sort of normal life. She's awesome. Actually she wants to go outside, but she can't. I have her in my office with her food, water, litterbox and kennel... yes, kennel. We need to keep her in there at nights so the other animals won't mess with her. She's a bit fragile right now with that metal bar in her mouth and she can't be acting all crazy with the other pets. The vet and his staff were very impressed with her and her ability to recover. They said that when the other animals in the clinic were put away, they would let her out and she would meow and rub up against them and they just fell in love with her... we love her too! Hopefully she'll be 100% soon. Thanks for everyone's well wishes and thoughts. We appreciate it! most sincerely, rH & Reva!
rockHEAD, I'm so happy to hear Reva is doing well. I know I would have gone ape**** throughout my neighborhood to find the guilty party. It's amazing that she's pulled through this so well....what a trooper!!
Update: 11/03/02 Reva is doing fine. Practically back to normal considering she had total of four surgeries, a pellet removed from her neck, several stitches, a metal bar that was in her mouth for about 2 weeks, and over a week kennelled at the vet's!! Surprisingly she is as normal as ever. She has adapted wonderfully to indoor life and I'm grateful she doesn't cry to go outside. I'm sure she remembers it's bad out there... Reva's on a wet food diet for about another month or so then back to dry food. She's finished her antibiotics and her wounds have healed nicely. She's getting along fine with the other animals and everyone knows their place. We'll probably never find out who did it and I hope it never happens again. I'd like to thank everyone again for their thoughts and kind words during these terrible turn of events. We really appreciated it!
That's great news! I'm really happy she's okay, rH. Animal cruelty just breaks my heart. Honestly, I'd rather see some guy get hurt rather than a cat or a dog. All Reva needs now is just some TLC, which I'm sure you're providing quite nicely.
I'm so glad to hear that Reva is doing well. I just don't understand why people are such complete assholes, and feel it's their right to harm these loving friends. If anyone did anything to one of our cats, I'd go ballistic, totally through the roof. Reva will probably adjust to life inside well. A few years ago, our cats Fluffy and Gus were outdoor/indoor, but because of the fears that they'd get hurt or lost or something, we finally made them indoor cats. They adjusted very well, and now all our cats are strictly indoor. Hearing about things like this just re-inforce how much I like having them inside. We try to keep plenty of windows open and so on for them to be able to observe the outside, just not leave. They seem to enjoy it more than being outside. It's just so great to hear that Reva is doing well!!!!
