Kitten shot by BB gun recovering (24 June 2006)

By JOE RUIZ
jruiz@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8262

A 6-week-old kitten, shot four times with a BB gun and wrapped in a trash bag, was found Monday in a trash bin in Christoval.

A janitor at Christoval High School found the kitten, which had clawed its way out of the trash bag it had been placed in, and called a Christoval resident who then took the kitten to All Caring Animal Clinic, according to the staff.

The kitten, named ''BeeBee'' by the staff at All Caring, is unable to stand, use its back legs or urinate on its own. About half the kitten's dark gray fur is shaved off to help the wounds inflicted by BBs heal.

Three of the four BBs have been removed, but the fourth is lodged in the kitten's chest.

BeeBee has a spinal cord injury, but does have feeling in her legs.

A report has been filed with the Tom Green Sheriff's Department, said public information officer Lt. Bill Fiveash, but no leads have surfaced.

Michael White, one of the veterinarians at All Caring, is treating the kitten out of his own pocket.

''It seems like she's made a little improvement in the few days we've had her, but it's kind of hard to predict,'' White said.

White said he has seen animals recover from similar injuries before, but it's impossible to tell whether BeeBee will at this point.

''Her demeanor - it's amazing she can have that injury and be as sweet as she is,'' White said.

The 27-year veterinarian said he has seen animal abuse and neglect before, but this case got to him. Since the kitten is unable to expel her bladder on her own, White has to do it manually.