Pet owners on edge after Jason the Kelowna cat catches bullet

A Kelowna woman is warning pet owners to be on the alert after someone shot her family's cat earlier this month.

The one-year-old tabby's name is Jason. After he went missing in mid-August,Bonnie Cleve says shediscovered Jason lying in herbasement, unable to move his leg.

"I had taken his food down and noticed that he couldn't even stand up,"said Cleve.

"I was pretty upset. I went through a lot of emotions, and wasjust trying to hold it together for the kids.We've got four children and they were like: 'Who would shoot our cat? And why?'"

Eight lives left

X-rays revealed that the bullet broke Jason'sfemur.

A specialist wascalled in for surgery the following week,leaving Cleve with a $5,000 vet bill.

The family has fostered cats in the past, butCleve said her kids insisted they keepJason when he was just two weeks old. They also adopted his mother.

It's unclear what type of gun the cat was shot with, but Cleve saidthe bullet wasn't small.

"They retrieved fragments of the bullet, and they gave that to us, so that we could give that to the RCMP," she said.

Jason is now confined to his kennel for the next two months while he recovers.

The family has registered for the B.C. SPCA'sPaws for a Cause walk to support Jason in his time of need.

Police say they haven't had any other reports of pet shootings, but pet owners should remain vigilant.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

With files from Jaimie Kehler.