ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) -- Arrow is nursing stitches where his right eye used to be. The cat, believed to be five or six-years-old, at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, still has his left eye intact although he cannot see out of it.
Arrow has had a rough run but seems to be a survivor.
He was dropped off at the animal shelter about two weeks ago by a random woman who claimed to have just found him.
After an x-ray, shelter staff found more than 60 BB gun rounds or shotgun shell fragments throughout his body. The x-ray shows the lodged pellets but it is unclear what sort of firearm was used.
"He has the mass of the pellets in his head and the rest just riddled throughout his body from both sides right down to his legs," said Charnita Fox, an animal care manager at Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
Employees were furious at the thought of the abuse.
"This is out and out right cruelty," said Neil Trent, President and CEO of the shelter. "What sort of personality does that?" he asked.
"You'll find a huge connection with folk that have gone out and gone on to further crimes which have offended against humans... If we ever find evidence or can track down somebody that commits these sort of atrocities, believe me, we'll take them through the courts," assured Trent.
It is unclear when Arrow was shot but he seems to have adjusted to being blind - which is thought to be a result of the pellets that remain lodged in his head.
"He maneuvers well. he gets used to you - at first he's a little scared with the initial touch but after a while he loves it," said Fox.
"He purrs, he cuddles, he's sweet, he looks great, he's friendly, he's not angry at people, which is shocking because if that were to happen to me, I wouldn't want to be around people," joked Fox.
Besides being blind and the stitches, Arrow is perfectly healthy - among other things.
"The cat is very lucky, he's very lucky that one of those BB pellets did not penetrate and organ - that's pretty amazing," said Trent.
Healthy, lucky and, most of all, "He's a lovebug," laughed Fox, cuddling with the friendly cat.
She said she is sure that Arrow will be someone's lovebug in no time, fully expecting him to be adopted. But the shelter still encourages anyone interested in Arrow or any cat to inquire.
They are currently launching a campaign to renovate their "Cat Quarters" at the shelter, creating a state of the art facility.
If you would like to make a donation of any amount, visit the Animal Welfare League of Arlington website.
