Westford police are searching for who shot a neighborhood cat with an arrow, inflicting injuries that forced its owner to put it to sleep.
Officers arrived at a home on East Prescott Street at about 10 p.m. Saturday, after residents said they found their cat, Oliver, with an arrow shot into its paw, police Captain Victor Neal said.
Oliver was just over 1 year old.
Angela Tassie and her 18-year-old daughter, owners of the cat, took Oliver to an animal hospital, but because the arrow also caused a fractured rib and other chest injuries, the pet was euthanized, Tassie said.
“The arrow had cracked his sternum and was pushing on his heart and his rectum,” she said.
“Now it’s kind of scary. I don’t want my dog out. I don’t want my kid out.”
Tassie said she hopes the person who did this, whether on purpose or accidentally, comes forward, clears their conscience, and helps the family with the medical bills.
“We are now stuck with upward of $1,000 in vet bills for this, for an animal we couldn’t save, and we shouldn’t have to pay for this person’s mistakes, so coming forward, they should be responsible for that bill,” she said.
Officers are talking to the family and their neighbors to find the person who shot the arrow.
Because hunting is a popular pastime for Westford residents, Neal said, many people have bows and arrows.
However, he added, misuse of arrows is a rare occurrence.
Police said on Facebook that the arrow that hit the cat is not of the type usually used for target shooting and is more often employed for hunting.
Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.