Cat on the Mend After Found With Arrow Shot Through Its Body in New Jersey

Veterinarians said the cat was lucky the arrow did not pierce any vital organs.

January 18, 2017, 3:19 PM

— -- A cat in New Jersey is on the mend after recently being found with an arrow shot through its body.

A representative of The Animal Clinic of Bayonne confirmed to ABC News today that the cat is recovering at its clinic.

The feline was found by North Bergen resident Kelly Shannon, who regularly feeds the stray cats in her neighborhood, reported ABC's New York station WABC on Tuesday.

"We got a deal: I feed you, you take care of the mice," Shannon told WABC.

Late last week, Shannon said noticed that something was off with one of her regulars, Sparky the cat.

"I saw Sparky in the alleyway, and I said, 'Come on Sparky, gonna eat?' and Sparky didn't move," she said.

Shannon said she then approached the cat, and, upon closer inspection, "saw he had an arrow in him."

Shannon and a neighbor managed to get the feline in a travel crate, and they rushed him to a veterinarian, she said.

Veterinarians were able to successfully remove the arrow, and they said Sparky was fortunate the arrow did not pierce any of his vital organs, WABC reported. The cat will be neutered and given vaccinations while he is recovering, WABC added.

PHOTO: A cat found with an arrow through its body was found in North Bergen, N.J, Jan. 12, 2017.
A North Bergen, New Jersey resident, said she found a neighborhood stray cat with an arrow through its body on Jan. 12, 2017.

Shannon said that once Sparky is back on his paws, she will be taking him on a 13-hour drive to Ohio, where a woman is adopting him.

Meanwhile, authorities are investigating the incident, WABC reported.

The North Bergen Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment.