Atlantic County cat survives arrow in head

Barbara Ciric let her 3-year-old cat, Peter, out for a morning stroll Thursday in rural Atlantic County, and he returned with a shocking surprise: a 61/2-inch crossbow bolt piercing his head.

"I was horrified," said Ciric, of West Beach Road in Buena Vista Township.

The projectile penetrated the right eye socket, but pushed the eyeball aside. Ciric said she would not know for several days whether her cat would be blind in his right eye.

She reported the situation to police, then rushed her cat to Shore Veterinarians in Williamstown. A veterinarian removed the bolt, which Ciric kept and vowed to have checked for fingerprints.

The cat, which usually sleeps with Ciric's 11-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, was resting Thursday night in a pet carrier, she said.

Ciric said she had to give medication to her cat every several hours. "I'll be up all night taking care of him," she said, "but it's good to have him back."

Anybody with information about the cat is being asked to call the Atlantic County SPCA at 609-927-9059.