A stray cat about six months old was found unable to stand near Chaucer Drive and South King Road in San Jose after being shot with a pellet gun, and weeks later a second cat was shot once near South Almaden Avenue and Union Street in a separate part of the city. Investigators have identified no suspects and developed no leads in either case, and San Jose Animal Care Center officials say they do not yet know whether the two shootings are connected.
The first cat arrived severely underweight and unable to stand, and a medical team found eight pellets lodged in her body, later removing five of them, according to KRON4. She remained in the shelter's care recovering from surgery, and a shelter staff member has since taken her in as a foster. The second cat's injuries were also treated by the medical team, and she remained in the San Jose Animal Care Center's care while recovering.
Officers Canvassing Neighborhoods for Clues
Animal services officers investigated both shooting incidents and spoke with nearby residents in an effort to piece together what happened, per the same KRON4 report. The San Jose Animal Care Center field unit is now asking the public for information about the two cats found shot with pellet guns within weeks of each other in two different areas of the city. Officials described both cases as deeply concerning and are asking the community to come forward with anything that could help identify those responsible.
The animal control unit says it will accept information about a person who may be responsible, doorbell or security camera footage, reports of suspicious activity involving a cat or other animal, and any firsthand information that could assist the investigations. Tips can be submitted through San José Animal Care and Services, which also directs residents to report active animal cruelty or injured strays to its emergency field line at (408) 794-7297.
California Law Treats Shooting Animals as a Felony-Eligible Crime
Under California Penal Code Section 597, maliciously shooting, maiming, or wounding a living animal is a wobbler offense that prosecutors can charge as either a misdemeanor or a felony, with felony convictions carrying up to three years in state prison and fines up to $20,000, according to FindLaw. San Jose's own municipal code adds another layer, prohibiting anyone from discharging a BB gun, air gun, pellet gun, or spring gun within city limits, as outlined in city ordinance documents hosted by the Town of Los Gatos WebLink archive.
San José Animal Care and Services operates the Animal Care Center at 2750 Monterey Road and serves roughly 1.5 million residents across San José, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Milpitas, and Saratoga, according to the City of San Jose. The same city account notes that in January 2024, San Jose Police detectives and Animal Care & Services jointly investigated another shooting case, in which a dog named Marley survived a gunshot wound to the head and jaw after shelter medical staff stabilized him and detectives from the Assaults Unit took over the criminal investigation.
Not the First Projectile Attack on a San Jose Stray
This is not the first time a San Jose cat has been targeted with a projectile weapon. In January, a Good Samaritan rescued a stray cat named Huerro after he was shot through the base of his tail with a six-inch crossbow bolt, requiring $1,600 in emergency surgery, as reported by ABC7 News/KGO via KSL.com. The case was mentioned in a Nextdoor post, and a GoFundMe was created for the cat's treatment.
The pattern isn't limited to San Jose. In March, volunteer cat rescue groups in South Los Angeles reported a cluster of pellet and BB gun shootings targeting feral cat colonies, as Hoodline previously reported. The broader regional picture remains unclear.
WPRI12 previously reported that a cat named Kiki was fighting for its life after being shot with a pellet gun, with a pellet lodged in its side. According to a 2015 study indexed by the National Institutes of Health’s PubMed Central, researchers reviewed 65 cases of metal projectile injuries in cats from 2012 to 2014.
Shelter Already Under Scrutiny Over Capacity and Care
The two shootings are being investigated by San José Animal Care and Services.
For now, both cats remain in the shelter's care as they heal, and officials are hoping someone in the Chaucer Drive or South Almaden Avenue neighborhoods saw or recorded something that could break the case open. Whether the two shootings are the work of the same person or two unrelated incidents remains an open question that investigators say they cannot yet answer.
