Florida Residents Horrified After Spotting Cat Dragging Himself With An Arrow In His Body

Unfortunately, we share this world with people capable of unthinkable cruelty toward animals. That reality hit hard in St. Petersburg, Florida, when a stray cat was discovered dragging himself around with an arrow lodged in his body. 

The heartbreaking sight left the local community shocked and determined to help.

A small group of neighborhood strays had been living peacefully in a local community. The cats were well known and cared for by kind residents who fed them daily. 

Then one day, neighbors were horrified to see one of the cats struggling to move, an arrow piercing through his body.

Jessica Kelly-Heckmann, founder of Cat Trap Fever, was one of the first to respond.

She located the injured cat hiding deep inside a PVC pipe, terrified and in pain. Rescuing him would prove far from easy.

It took hours of effort, a committed rescue team, and even three separate trips to Home Depot before they could safely get the cat out of the 130-foot pipe. 

In the beginning, there was even discussion about humane euthanasia to end his suffering. As Cat Trap Fever explained in a Facebook post:

“While we considered an emergency vet for immediate euthanasia to end suffering, we feel strongly he is stable, alert, and awake enough to get the best outcome we could hope for, due to his unsocialized temperament.”

The Rocky Path To Recovery

The very next day, the brave little cat was taken into surgery. Because Cat Trap Fever partners closely with trusted veterinary clinics, everyone felt reassured that he was in the best possible care. 

In the meantime, the local community had already rallied around him, affectionately giving him the nickname “PAKman” – short for Poor Arrow Kitty.

The days following surgery were anything but easy for Jessica. She worked tirelessly to monitor PAKman’s recovery, keeping a close eye on every detail of his progress. 

At the same time, she made sure to share regular updates with supporters who were eager to know how their brave little fighter was doing. As she wrote in one of her updates:

“He was discharged to our care with a heavy duty pain management, antibiotic and banded pressure application regimen.”

Although the arrow had miraculously missed all of PAKman’s vital organs, his battle was far from over. 

As the hours went by, his condition began to worry everyone, he grew increasingly lethargic, struggled to move around, and showed little to no interest in eating.

With each vet visit, Cat Trap Fever kept supporters updated on PAKman’s condition, sharing every small step forward. In one heartfelt post, they wrote:

“We’ll continue to encourage feedings and follow the vet regimen to the T, providing infinite love and comforts to the very special, handsome man. We appreciate your continued love, shares, prayers and support in this cat’s journey, so so much. He is so lucky to have so many folks in his corner.”

Since nutrition was vital to his healing, the vets decided to take the next step. PAKman underwent another procedure to have a permanent feeding tube surgically placed.

Thankfully, he bounced back from the anesthesia quickly, proving once again how strong and determined he was to keep fighting.

Once PAKman began receiving steady nutrients through the feeding tube, Jessica noticed encouraging signs of improvement. To her, he was nothing short of a medical miracle, though her concern never wavered. As she shared in one of her updates:

“If his condition, at any time, worsens instead of keeping steady or improving, we will have him back at the vet to investigate but for now, he’s a miracle of the veterinary medicine’s skillset and compassionate care and we are so proud of him and his perseverance!”

Not long after, a setback came when one of PAKman’s wounds developed an infection and began to drain fluid. 

While it was worrying to see, Cat Trap Fever reassured everyone following his story that this was actually a good sign, it meant his body was doing exactly what it should, actively fighting off the infection on its own.

A Turn Of Events

Just two weeks later, PAKman showed remarkable progress, he began eating on his own again, a huge milestone in his recovery. 

His strength was returning day by day, though two of his wounds still required time to fully heal. 

To help with his recovery, he wore a rib cage compression wrap, and with his steady improvement, Jessica even started considering the possibility of removing his feeding tube altogether.

After the earlier infection ran its course, PAKman needed to have some of his wounds restitched to support proper healing. Throughout it all, Cat Trap Fever continued to keep followers informed and reassured with regular updates.

“Friday’s suture work was another artistic marvel! Thank you, @animal health Care clinic for working so diligently to get this guy to optimal health with us. They will see him again Friday and the following Friday, sutures will be removed, so long as everything is healing well.”

From that point forward, PAKman’s journey was nothing short of inspiring. His health kept improving, and wherever he went, he became the center of attention. 

Everyone wanted a chance to snuggle the brave little survivor, and he even received his very own Valentine’s card!

Happily Ever After

If you assumed Jessica would be the one to adopt him, you’re certainly not alone. Many people online thought the same. 

But in the end, PAKman found his forever home with a compassionate caregiver who had grown deeply attached to him during his recovery. Cat Trap Fever joyfully shared the news:

“Tonight, she’s crying happy tears for him. He’s being adopted by one of his loving caregivers. He’ll be the center of their household and we can’t think of a better reunion with the family that he knows and loves.”

Of course, Jessica will still play an important role in his life. She’s happily taken on the title of godmother, a role she has more than earned after everything she did to help save him.