The Nanaimo SPCA says a young male cat shot with a BB gun has come through surgery.
Mystic had 5 pellets lodged in his lower abdomen, front right leg, 2 near his spine, and one near his ribs -- and his left hind leg was broken into pieces.
The SPCA's Animal care attendant, Kristin Lloyd, says the leg was too badly broken to save:
" So he did have hius leg removed. He also had 3 of the 5 pellets removed, the other 2 are in jujst a bit tricky locations and they didn't feel it was kind of safe to go in and get those ones. At this time they don't seem to ge causing any issues for him, but it will be something that will just have to be monitored in the future."
Lloyd says it's not known exactly when Mystic was shot as he disappeared for 5 days before he was found. His owner surrendured him to the SPCA as they couldn't afford the surgery to save him.
The SPCA is now fundraising to pay the medical bills which are now expected to top $17-hundred.
A cruelty investigation is also underway in the hope of finding the person responsible.