TOWN 'N' COUNTRY, Fla. — Hillsborough County Animal Control is investigating after someone is shooting cats with a pellet gun in Town 'N' Country.
The agency first got involved in Jan. 2022 when a cat was shot and its leg required amputation.
Another cat was shot just last week.
Animal Control shared X-rays showing a pellet in a cat's leg or abdomen.
"One cat you can see the pellet in the abdomen," Town 'N' Country resident Kristy Bush said. "It was just crying to us in pain. It was just terrible. It was terrible."
Bush and Kathryn Barnes care for the cats in the Three Lakes Community on Sheldon Road. They have humanely trapped the cats and got them spayed or neutered.
"I would like the people to stop shooting our cats," Barnes said. "They're community cats. They're not even ours. We fix them, get them vaccinated everything and we just want them to be safe and healthy."
Hillsborough County Animal Control said another cat was shot and killed last week. The women said at least five cats have been shot and three have died.
Animal Control continues to investigate.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay said the non-profit offers a trap, neuter, vaccinate and release (TNVR) program. It is a way to humanely control the feral cat population in a specific area.
"So what this does is humanely minimizes the population of cats in the community as opposed to taking it into their own hands, taking this into your own hands and harming an animal is horrifying and it's not okay," Public Relations Manager with the Humane Society of Tampa Christine McLarty said.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay is offering a $2,500 reward leading to the arrest of the person responsible.
"Angry, really angry," Barnes said. "I just I want to know who is doing this. I want justice for these cats."
If you suspect that an animal has been abused, neglected or otherwise harmed, contact the Hillsborough County Animal Control at 813-744-5660.
