Valentine’s Day was last week, but “Cupid’s arrow” meant something very different for one shelter who raced to save a cat’s life.
Rescues work hard to help sick and injured animals every day, but on February 14 one West Virginia rescue discovered a cat in a particularly dire condition: he was shot in the head with an arrow.
Caution: graphic photos.
The poor cat still had the arrow sticking out of his head. They were shocked to discover it had likely been lodged in there for about a week.
Unfortunately we’ll never know what happened or who did this—whether it was an accident or some sick person intentionally shot the cat with an arrow.
But the horrified rescue was overwhelmed—they didn’t have the resources to perform the surgery, and reached out to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington for help.
He was transported to AWLA and rushed into emergency medical care, funded in part by public donations.
The cat proved to be remarkably resilient, despite everything.
“Despite the immense amount of discomfort and pain he must have been in, he started to purr every time someone talked to him, making biscuits and asking for chin scratches,” AWLA wrote on Facebook.
“It was then that we decided to name him Cupid.”
Vets gave Cupid x-rays, and found a ray of hope: while the arrow spread all the way to his shoulder blade, it did not puncture any major organs or arteries.
It was finally time to remove the arrow from Cupid’s head. In a two-hour surgery the vets used bolt cutters to remove the arrowhead and treat his wounds.
They successfully removed the arrow and Cupid woke up. While the arrow did not do any severe damage, it did leave him with a severe infection, which had to be treated with a regimen of antibiotics.
While they weren’t initially sure if he would be okay, they reported that he was recovering nicely.
“He has a good appetite, is getting lots of rest and just wants to spend as much time as possible snuggling with our staff,” AWLA wrote on Facebook.
The rescue says they’ve received adoption requests for Cupid, but they stress that he’s not out of the woods yet and will need to recover from his injury and infection.
Still, he’s making a remarkable recovery considering the horrific condition he was found in.
Thank you to these rescuers and vets who did an amazing job saving this cat’s life! We hope he continues to get better and finds a forever home soon!
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