Maybe cats really do have nine lives! In what can only be described as a miracle, Brownie, a 4-year-old feline in Indiana, found himself the target of abuse when someone shot an arrow through his head.
"It entered above his right eye," Monroe County Humane Association's CEO Sarah Hayes tells PEOPLE Pets. "And came out near the opposite ear. Miraculously, it did not go through his skull."
Brownie, an outdoor cat who disappeared for a few days from his home in Bloomington, Ind., returned to his owner, Dillon Eads, 83, last week, seemingly unaware that something had happened to him.
"It's just broke my heart," a tearful Eads said of first seeing Brownie, in an interview with Fox 59 in Indianapolis.
After immediate calls to the police and animal control, Brownie was taken to Bloomington's Town and Country Vet Hospital, where the veterinarian determined, based on the infection that was setting in, that the arrow had been lodged for at least three days.
When the Monroe County Humane Association heard about this, they offered their assistance to foot the bill for Brownie's surgery. Since removing the arrow, Brownie remains with an animal control officer while he heals, but is expected to return home over the weekend or early next week.
Today, Brownie is "doing really great," Hayes reports. "He's been sweet as can be, just happy and purring."
Because of the extremity of this crime, the local Humane Society said it would offer a $500 reward to anyone with information that will lead to catching the culprit. But with the overwhelming news coverage and support over the past couple of days, the reward total has jumped to $1,400, with concerned citizens as far west as Oregon donating to the cause.
In hopes to prevent future violent acts, Hayes encourages people to contact their legislatures on the state and federal level, and to make their voices heard.
"Let them know that these laws are important," she says. "So that when things like this happen, someone will be held accountable."
Click here to see the graphic photos of Brownie's injuries.
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