Reward Offered for Information About Cat Shot With Blow Dart in Ames

A neighbor of the man whose cat was killed with a blowgun has offered a reward for information about the shooting.

Valerie Stallbaumer who discovered the to walk in her neighbor's driveway about 8 p.m. Tuesday said she started a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of the person or people involved in the shooting. She has contributed $100.

Stallbaumer found her neighbor Ron Carson's cat while he was out for dinner. She saw it stumbling from behind and picked it up and saw the orange tag of the dart sticking out of the cat's chest. She and a neighbor rushed it to the Iowa State University veterinary clinic but its heart had stopped.

Early Wednesday Lorna Lavender, Ames Animal Shelter supervisor, said animal control officers didn't know enough to determine what had happened, but it now appears that the cat was shot at close range and the person responsible could be charged with animal cruelty, according to the Ames Tribune.

Stallbaumer said she wanted to warn other people about the danger. The dart was about as thick as a fork tine.

“This is not something that anyone should have in the city here,” Stallbaumer said of the weapon used to kill the cat.

“This is just wrong. This isn't normal behavior you don't do that,” she said.  

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