In classical mythology, Cupid, the god of love, is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess, Venus and the war god, Mars.
Against a stray cat in Perris, California, three weeks ago, Cupid’s dark influence struck first, but Cupid’s love eventually found its mark.
In a heinous act of cruelty, someone masquerading as a human being shot a stray two-year-old short-haired cat with an arrow. The projectile pierced the cat’s left shoulder, ran through his entire body and exited through the right flank. Remarkably, no vital organs were damaged.
“He’s a lucky cat,” San Jacinto veterinarian, Dr. Sara Strongin, told CBS news. “If that arrow had been a few inches to the left, we would have a very different scenario.”
The arrow was safely removed, but the cat’s front leg was badly fractured and had to be amputated. Having one less leg to stand on has not hampered the cat’s recovery or kept him from capturing the hearts of animal control officers in Riverside County.
A hobbling, but hopeful “Archer” is now healthy enough for adoption. Prospective pet parents were asked to submit a short essay about why they want to adopt him. The ideal adopter(s) would keep Archer indoors and guard against overfeeding since he’ll expend less energy than his four-legged counterparts.
As of this writing, no “winner” has been announced, though there’s no doubt Archer will hit the bullseye.
Unfortunately, Archer’s ordeal is far from rare.
In 2015, Texas veterinarian, Kristen Lindsey, lost her job and had her license pulled for a year after she shot what she thought was a feral cat through the head with a bow and arrow then posted the picture of her kill on Facebook:
“My first bow kill, [cat emoji], lol. The only good feral Tomcat is one with an arrow through its head! Vet of the year award . . . gladly accepted.”
Compassion was clearly absent without leave from Lindsey’s heart when she drew back her bow. Apparently, the good doctor never heard of trap-neuter-and-release as the humane option for feral cat control. Amplifying the trajedy, strong evidence pointed toward the cat being a neighbor’s pet named Tiger.
To this day, Lindsey’s actions have left everyone but her dumbfounded at how one charged with the care and healing of animals could so wantonly snuff out the life of one who “trespassed” her property.
Killing animals with spears and arrows for sustenance was not alien to our nomadic human ancestors. But one key difference separates us from them: before the projectiles flew, prayers and blessings were offered to the animals whose lives would be taken to clothe and feed members of the tribe. There was a sense of honor - and even reverence - for the living resources consumed.
In their march across the globe to befriend wolves, vault magnificent cities and stretch roads to once remote areas, some humans lost their aim - and their soul.