Pellet gun prowler terrorizing cats in Lehigh Acres neighborhood

A WINK News viewer is telling us that a person with a pellet gun is terrorizing many cats in a Lehigh Acres neighborhood.

Fernando Prieto, the man who found these cats, said he’s working with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Lee County Domestic Animal Services. He’s determined to put a stop to what he’s calling cruel and heartless.

Living in Lehigh Acres, feral cats are nothing new to Prieto, but what he’s seen the past few months has shaken him.

“We found a very scared cat, weren’t really sure what was going on. It was dragging its legs,” Prieto said.

Prieto and his family brought the cat to the vet to be examined, and X-rays revealed something more sinister than initially thought.

“They did find two pellets in this cat, and within a very short period of time, the tissue in the rear leg began to necrotize. It began to rot quickly, like as if it was venom from a snake bite. We really think it is pellets from someone that’s shooting them,” he said.

That was in December. Prieto has since found two more cats with the same injuries. Those he took to the vet were in such bad shape that they had to be put down.

“It’s heart-wrenching. I mean, they are feral cats, but they’re innocent animals that don’t deserve to be shot or harmed in this way, and it’s not the way to handle the feral cat population,” Prieto said.

Prieto said LSCO and Lee County Domestic Animal Services are working to find out who’s doing this, and he hopes the person responsible will either be caught or will just stop.

“If we’re seeing three right in our immediate neighborhood, I can only imagine how many more this is happening to that we haven’t seen,” Prieto said.

He said there are better ways to slow the growth of the feral cat population.

“Please don’t be the type of person that’s causing this kind of cruel harm to any animal, and just go about it the right way,” Prieto said.

And speaking of the right way to do things, Prieto wants everyone to be aware that the Gulf Coast Humane Society hosts free events where they show you how to help in the trap, neuter, and release effort. Their next event is on March 23.