San Francisco Locals Thought A Cat Had A Nail In Its Head, Then They Learned A Startling Truth
For two years, a kind woman had been leaving food out for a shy and wary stray cat. But one day, she noticed something alarming: a strange object sticking out of his head.
She couldn’t get close, so she reached out to a local animal rescue, setting off a days-long mission to help this terrified little cat.
The woman who reached out for help owned a restaurant where a stray cat came by every day for food. It had become their daily routine: She’d put out a bowl of food, and he’d appear, always hungry for more than just his meal.
One day, however, the cat came in injured. At first, she thought he had been in a fight with other stray cats.
But the next day, he had lost an eye, and by the third day, she noticed something unusual sticking out of his head.
Initially, she thought it was just a twig, but upon closer inspection, it was clear it was something far more alarming; it appeared as though someone had hammered a nail into his head.
Concerned for his well-being, she immediately called the rescue group for help.
When the rescue team arrived, they got to work right away. They set a few traps around the restaurant, but the cat skillfully avoided them.
Realizing they needed to try a new approach, they set up more than 20 traps throughout the neighborhood where the cat had been seen. They also placed a few security cameras to monitor his movements.
Days passed as they waited for the cat to fall into one of the traps, but he proved even harder to catch than they had expected.
Each time he visited the restaurant, he would nervously eat his food, glance at the traps, and quickly leave.
Concerned that his head injury could become infected, the rescuers decided it was time to change their strategy. They decided to set up a large cat trap right by the back door of the restaurant, covering the area where the cat usually ate.
They worked hard for a few days, building the trap from scratch. After ensuring it was secure with a test run, they placed it in the backyard.
Now, they just had to wait for the cat to come.
The rescuers spent over 10 hours waiting, sensing that the cat was taking longer than usual to show up. Finally, he appeared – tired but still eager.
He cautiously moved toward the food beneath the trap, but just as he was about to back away, another stray cat appeared and tried to take the food. Realizing this, the injured cat stepped forward to reclaim it.
As he approached the bowl, they triggered the trap and, with a mix of relief and emotion, finally caught him.
Tears of joy filled their eyes, knowing he was finally getting the care he so badly needed. After calming him down, they rushed him to the vet.
At the clinic, the vet confirmed the cat didn’t have a full skull fracture. An X-ray, necessary for planning surgery, uncovered a startling discovery: what appeared to be a nail lodged in his head was actually an arrowhead.
Someone had shot the poor cat with an arrow. The vet explained that the arrow was fired from below, entering at an angle through his upper jaw and heading toward his ear.
Removing the arrowhead’s wings was a delicate process, with any mistake potentially fatal for the cat. Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and the cat was able to rest and begin recovering.
The vet told the rescuers that the arrow used was a broadhead, typically employed for hunting big game. These arrows are designed for high accuracy and speed, allowing for a quick and humane kill.
The use of such a weapon clearly indicated that the injury wasn’t accidental.
However, the cat wasn’t directly shot with the broadhead arrow, as that would have been lethal. It’s likely the perpetrator used the arrowhead with a sling or a similar device.
Though the shop couldn’t provide any information about the person responsible, the rescuers reported the incident to the police, hoping for justice.
The case remains under investigation, and everyone is hopeful that the cruel individual will be found and prevented from hurting any more animals.
