“Every now and then she would let out a meow just to let us know she was still alive,” said Passino.
At first the couple thought their 1 1/2-year-old pet had been struck by a car, but an X-ray proved otherwise.
“When we took the X-ray you could see these white pieces or metal fragments of a high-velocity gunshot wound that would do that kind of thing. What it did was it just ripped right through and shattered the bone right in here,” said Dr. Joseph Church of the Plattsburgh Animal Hospital.
After tending to Kloe's pain and reducing her fever Dr. Joseph Church operated on the cat, unsure if he'd be able to save her leg.
An 8-inch pin was inserted in her broken limb along with about a dozen staples. When the husband and wife returned home they found another suffering animal.
A seagull which also sustained a gunshot wound was in their backyard.
“When it turned I could see it was dragging its wing and it was barely held on, and I said two and two together here. Luckily, the officer was coming to investigate the shooting of the cat,” said LaBarge.
A state trooper euthanized the bird and proceeded to conduct numerous interviews around their Keeseville neighborhood.
“It is hard though because if it happens in the middle of the night and there's no witnesses and the cat or dog can't say anything, it's hard for them to track down but they do,” said Church.
Passino and LaBarge expect to pay more than $2,000 to help Kloe get back on her feet.
“Your first reaction is anger. You want to find whoever did this, and once you actually get the cat back being healthy and happy, all of that falls by the wayside and you're just happy to have the cat back,” said LaBarge.
(WCVB - April 23, 2015)
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