Fayetteville police are searching for a suspect they say shot a cat with an arrow earlier this week.
The cat’s owner reported the incident to police Wednesday , saying the animal was impaled through the abdomen with an arrow Monday night. Emergency surgery was performed on the cat, and it was released back to its owner for recovery, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.
The owner told police he let his cat out on his front porch Monday night on Duncan Avenue, as he usually does. He later heard a rustling from the front of the home. He opened his front door to find an arrow sticking through his cat Saltine, said Sgt. Craig Stout with Fayetteville police.
The owner described the weapon as a three-foot long aluminum arrow without a tip, police said.
The owner said he rushed Saltine to the Animal Emergency Clinic in Springdale. The cat was then transported to Stanton Animal Hospital in Fayetteville, where emergency surgery was performed and the cat was treated for its wounds. Saltine was later released back to its owner and continues to recover, police said.
Investigators examined the arrow at the crime lab and continue to investigate the incident. If the suspect is found and arrested, he or she could face felony animal cruelty charges, Stout said.
