Missing Cat Comes Back To His Owner And His Cries For Help Reveal Something Shocking

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Animal Control officers from Gloucester, Virginia, recently had to deal with a disturbing cruelty case. 

A cat named Betelgeuse found himself in a desperate situation after wandering off from home, so let’s rewind the story.

Betelgeuse, an adorable longhaired cat in a tuxedo coat enjoyed his indoor-outdoor life ever since he was a kitten. 

In their calm Gloucester neighborhood, his owner Joanna always felt that Betelgeuse was safe once he went out.

However, when Betelgeuse didn’t return from his outdoor adventures a few months ago, Joanna began to worry. 

He was missing for almost two weeks and Joanna was ready to put out some missing flyers when she heard a familiar meowing coming from her neighbor’s backyard. As she said in an interview:

“He was back there and it took me a while to get to him. I didn’t recognize his face, he had lost a lot of weight, and he had dry blood over his chest and on his face.”

Poor Betelgeuse was crying out in pain and Joanna was certain he was hit by a car. She immediately rushed him to the vet, only to find out something shocking.

Although he seemed alright after they stabilized him and his bloodwork was satisfactory, the vet noticed something unusual showing up in the x-ray.

Believe it or not, a shrapnel was showing up and the vet figured out poor Betelgeuse was shot in the head! As Joanna shared:

“I was horrified, and so upset. I was living a nightmare.”

Fortunately, the small caliber bullet missed Betelgeuse’s vital organs although the poor soul was shot directly to his face. 

The bullet entered close to his nose, shattered his palate, and went out through his neck. Betelgeuse had a strong will to survive, and managed to come close to his home and call Joanna for help!

His mom was devastated, but happy her feline friend survived. Although she has to feed him through a tube, Betelgeuse is in stable condition right now. A metal plate is holding everything together until his wound heals completely.

Was it a freak accident or a cruelty case was uncertain, but animal control officers worked tirelessly to figure out what happened. Betelgeuse went through a lot, but he’s still the sweetest boy. As Joanna mentioned:

“When I went to pick him up the night I found him, he was purring! There’s not a mean bone in his body. So that again is just hard to believe that someone would hate a cta that much.”

I hope Betelgeuse will recover in no time and they will find out who did this to him!