Reward For Whoever Shot Two Stafford Cats Reaches $2,000

The scene was horrific. One tabby cat already dead, another struggling to breath, struggling to live.

That's what a man walking his dog last Oct. 12 on Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin came across. It's been just about two months since someone shot the two helpless cats. Veterinarians found .22 caliber slugs in both animals.

And the reward for whoever did this is now up to $2,000, according to app.com.

The good news is that the surviving cat - first named Lucky at the Stafford Veterinary Hospital and now called Oakley- has found a home with a receptionist at the animal hospital.

Oakley had substantial head trauma, a head wound and blood and fluid in her lungs by the time she arrived at the hospital. She has some permanent vision and hearing difficulties, but likes to cuddle and has settled into her new home, her new owner said.

"She was a miracle," her owner said, who did not want to be named.

Kathleen Dotoli, a Toms River attorney, was the first to post a reward. She later upped her donation for a total of $875.

“The story enraged me,” Dotoli told The Sandpaper. “It was an act of pure cruelty. To kill one animal and leave another with lifelong medical problems is abhorrent."

The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter also donated another $250 and several citizens added to the pot.

If anyone recognizes the cat in the photo, or has any information in regards to this act of animal cruelty they are urged to report it to the Stafford Township Animal Control Department immediately at (609)597-1000 extension 8524.

"This person will harm animals again and probably harm people," said Friends President Dorothy Reynolds. "So it really is important that we find out who it was."

Image: Stafford Township Police Department