I share Hunter quite a bit on Instagram, but he’s not heavily featured on the blog. For those of you who don’t know, Hunter is the sweetest cat in history. He’s a floofy whale. We love him dearly. Hunter showed up one morning about eleven and a half years ago and never left. He was full grown, but thin. He was immediately friendly and walked right into my house like he owned the place. I tried to find his owners because surely a cat that cute and sweet had humans missing him…or so you would think. No chip. No response to my signs and social media posts. I got him neutered, de-wormed and vaccinated and he officially became a Slagel.
Hunter the Floofy Whale Cat
Hunter is a very low maintenance pet. He demands food a few times per day, but that’s about it. Mostly he wants to lay in the sunshine and receive cuddles. He’s always been extremely healthy. Several weeks ago I received a notice from the vet that Hunter is due for vaccines. Around that same time, I heard him cough a few times. I made an appointment to get him up to date and mentioned that I’d like his cough checked.
Hunter was a perfect angel at the vet (as always) and out of an abundance of caution the doctor suggested a chest x-ray. Imagine my surprise a few minutes later when Dr. Miller came back in the room and asked, “did you know about the bullet?”
No. No, I did not. She showed me these images:
X Rays
Between his shoulders a bullet is clearly visible. I know next to nothing about guns and ammunition, but the vet technician mentioned this could be a 22 short. Hunter’s injury definitely happened before he arrived at Casa Slagel. The whole situation just breaks my heart. Who would want to harm a cat? Especially one as sweet as Hunter! I understand cats can be a nuisance and not everyone is a cat person, but to shoot one is beyond comprehension. I am so thankful Hunter showed up at my house all those years ago and has lived a life of luxury since.
In case you’re wondering, the plan is to leave the bullet as is. Removal could be risky and since it doesn’t appear to cause him any trouble, we’re just going to ignore it. Hunter achieved a new level of street cred and my kids think he’s a bada$$ (although we are very sad this happened to our precious fur baby).
Unbothered Hunter
Please be kind to animals! Their hearts are so pure.
