The Sunnyvale Sun

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Family is trying to find out who took a shot at their cat

By Erin Hussey

About a month ago, Alex Fleming was a happy pet cat. He enjoyed wandering outside and playing with the neighborhood children. Today, after being shot in the eye with a pellet gun, Alex isn't himself, and his owners want to find the person responsible.

"He is depressed and he's afraid," Alex's owner Ana Fleming said. "He doesn't even meow," Fleming's daughter Christine added, scooping Alex up in her arms after finding him hiding under her comforter. In addition to the emotional effects inflicted on Alex from the gun wound, he will probably never be able to see again with his right eye.

"He could still lose the eye," Sunnyvale veterinarian Raj Singh said. "Right now it looks like it is healing in the right direction; he is probably blind, but we won't know for sure until the blood clot in the eye is smaller."

The evening Alex was shot, the Flemings rushed him to the vet, where he was given eye ointment and other medication. A week later, Fleming said she felt a pellet just to the right of Alex's right eye, near the temple. The vet then surgically removed the pellet, and Alex was given more medication and an Elizabethan protective collar.

"From the size of the pellet, I believe it came from a rifle, or what we call an air gun in England," Ana's husband, Ian Fleming said. "I have not seen any indication of pellet guns or anything of this type in our area; that is why it was such a shock and disappointment to me."

The Flemings have been living in the same house with their two children for the past 10 years. It is a located in a family-oriented neighborhood where young children are constantly out riding bikes and playing in front yards. Besides the other neighborhood pets, Ana Fleming is also concerned about the children.

"Yes, I think about the children," she said. "Because if someone can do this, they can practically try it on anybody; it's dangerous."

While the family did call Sunnyvale Public Safety to report the crime, they have yet to hear back from the department. What angers the Flemings the most isn't the $800 veterinary bill or the change in their cat's demeanor; it's that the perpetrator hasn't been caught.

"The most annoying aspect is that the person who did this thought they could be anonymous, and they might just do it again if we can't get them identified," Ian Fleming said. "The obvious profile would be younger boys, but you can never be sure; it could be anyone. It might be someone seeing Alex using their garden as a toilet; you can never really tell."

The Flemings are offering a $500 reward for any information that leads to a prosecution.

"I feel anger and a strong desire to have the individual that did this made accountable for their actions," Fleming said. While Singh said pellet injuries are somewhat uncommon in cities, pet owners should always be cautious about letting their dogs or cats be unattended outdoors.

"One instance warrants alertness in the neighborhood; another instance warrants police investigation," he said.

Anyone with information or questions about the Flemings' cat can email Ian Fleming at flemingnet@yahoo.com.