Pet owner looking for shooter after cat was found paralyzed, later euthanized

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    GILBERT, Arizona (KTVK/KPHO) — A pet owner in Gilbert is looking for the person who shot her cat. Crystal Reidy says her cat, named Halloween, was found paralyzed with a small metal object lodged by his spine.

Reidy’s neighbors found the 14-month-old cat in their backyard, struggling to move. “We rushed over there and we could see that something was seriously wrong. His hind legs were no longer working; my husband felt a little bit of blood,” said Reidy.

She rushed the cat to a nearby animal hospital. When vets took an X-ray, they discovered a small metal object lodged near the cat’s spine. “I think that somebody is very disturbed and I think they intentionally shot Halloween,” said Reidy.

Reidy ultimately had to make the decision that no pet owner wants to make, and the cat was euthanized. Making things even more painful? It happened on her birthday. “Just devastating on every front. We cant believe we had to do this. We rushed down there and we were thankfully were able to hold Halloween until they, unfortunately, euthanized him,” said Reidy.

Now, she’s using her pain to find the person responsible. “I’m going to find out who did this,” said Reidy. So, she has set out to find the person who inflicted this pain on her family. She went door to door asking people with a flier, offering a $500 dollar reward.

“Its just very scary,” said Reidy. “When it hit is that this is man made, and somebody chose to do this? That’s when I’m like, I’m very sad, but I’m going to put that aside and stay angry,” said Reidy.

She hopes she will be able to prevent another pet death. “In a way I think that this is Halloween’s chance to prevent future crimes,” said Reidy.

“If it’s a teenager, they need to get to therapy,” said Reidy, of the person who shot Halloween. “If this is an adult that’s doing this, that’s very scary because there is no telling what else they would do to other animals, to other kids.”

Gilbert Police are investigating Halloween’s death.

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