Lincoln woman searching for answers after X-ray reveals her cat was shot

A Lincoln woman is searching for answers after someone shot her cat, Bo, in the leg last week.

Lincoln Police is still investigating the incident.

They are searching for any leads the public may have.

Bo’s owner Jackie Forkner says that he mysteriously went missing last week, and when he turned up he was limping and in a lot of pain.

Bo is a tabby cat who likes to play outside.

Last week he didn’t return home, which worried his owner.

“At first I thought he got hit by a car because he’s not scared of anything. He likes playing out in the front yard and running across the street, so that was my initial thought was that he got hit,” said Forkner.

Forkner found Bo in her backyard shed.

He was hiding and meowing, clearly in a lot of pain.

So she took him to the vet.

After seeing his X-rays, it became clear that Bo was shot.

Bo needed surgery to fix his broken leg, and the vet wasn’t able to remove the pellet from his body.

Jackie and others in the neighborhood say Bo is a sweet cat who was minding his own business when someone targeted him with cruel intentions.

“I have no idea who could have done this… Honestly… I do not know and they must be pretty disturbed if they have to do that,” said Forkner.

Bo just recently turned two years old.

He and his brother Jeffrey are often seen outside playing with the other neighbor cats living in the area.

“He’s just really sweet. His favorite toy is a fishing pole, the end of a fishing pole, he will sit in there and chew on it for hours and he is really good with the kids, he’s good with other animals,” said Forkner.

It is illegal to shoot off BB guns, air soft guns or pellet guns within Lincoln city limits.

Police are continuing to investigate this incident, and they’re hoping someone comes forward to provide a lead as to who may have done this.

“Officers followed up with the neighbors and interviewed them to see if anyone had witnessed anyone shooting in the area. There were no witnesses that saw anything but we are asking anybody with information to call the Lincoln police department of Lincoln Crimestoppers,” said LPD Officer Angela Sands.

Meanwhile, a Facebook post about the incident has gained attention from community members, who are offering monetary donations to help pay for the expensive surgery.

Jackie says she just wants to find out who did this to her cat and why.

She doesn’t want what happened to Bo to happen to other animals in the area.

“He’s a sweet cat… Poor baby… He didn’t deserve to get shot.”

Bo will be on the mend for the next 8 weeks or so.

Forkner says she’ll be treating him to some of his favorite foods and he’ll be getting lots of love and attention while he’s recovering.

The incident happened in a neighborhood by South 14th and Old Cheney road.

If you have any information on this case, you are encouraged to contact police.