Cat Shot in the Head in Zonhoven: “He Was Very Lucky”

Cappuccino returned from his daily walk appearing normal. Only later, when his owner stroked his head, did she feel a pellet lodged in his skull above his eye.

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Because you never expect something like this.

The young cat belongs to Sigrid Lamers, who said she was shocked because the incident was something she never expected. The shooting took place in the Terdonk neighborhood of Zonhoven, Belgium.

Lamers took Cappuccino to the Sonuwe veterinary practice in Zonhoven. Veterinarian Karen Briffoz safely removed the pellet. Briffoz said veterinary clinics sometimes treat animals with stray shotgun pellets after they enter hunting areas, but she had never seen a case like this. The location of the injury, she said, suggested a deliberate act.

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I have never experienced anything like this before.

Lamers said Cappuccino was very lucky and probably had been shot from a distance. A closer shot, she said, could have driven the pellet through his skull and killed him.

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This seems like a very targeted act, given where the pellet landed.

A report was filed through the neighborhood officer, and Lamers has an appointment to lodge a formal complaint against unknown suspects. Police Zone Limburg Regio Hoofdstad confirmed the case and said it was the first such incident in Zonhoven. Officers have started a neighborhood inquiry. Lamers also warned residents on Facebook, where her post drew more than 1,000 angry emoji reactions.

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Cappuccino was very lucky. He was probably shot from a distance.