RUMFORD – A Mexico man who allegedly shot and seriously wounded a cat that had wandered into his yard has been issued a summons on a charge of animal cruelty.

Ryan McDonald, 22, has been ordered to appear in 11th District Court, Northern Oxford Division, on June 1.

In the meantime, the injured animal is being cared for at McKennel’s Animal Adoption Agency and the shelter’s owner, Marsha McKenna, is trying to find the orange and white, neutered male cat’s owner.

“If the owners are out there and worried about him, they should make the decisions on whether to put him down or to nurse him,” said McKenna.

The friendly, apparently well-cared-for cat was shot late Saturday night on the Bunker Pond Road in Roxbury with a pellet gun. Four pellets are lodged in the cat’s head, including at least one that entered the ear canal.

Animal Control Officer Ozzie Hart said McDonald’s girlfriend and her two small children were with him at the time of the alleged shooting. Two men who were driving on Bunker Pond Road at about 10:45 p.m. saw the trembling and bleeding animal and McDonald’s vehicle and recorded McDonald’s license plate number.

The two men contacted the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Chancey Libby responded, said Hart. He wrapped the animal in a blanket until Hart arrived at 11:25 p.m. Hart then took the cat to the Animal Emergency Clinic in Lewiston where it was X-rayed and stabilized. The cat was later taken to McKenna’s kennel and to Dr. Fred Kent, a Rumford veterinarian, for further treatment. The cat, named “Chancy” by McKenna, has been at the kennel since Sunday.

It has trouble walking and is often wobbly, although it has started eating.

McKenna said she’ll wait about two weeks, then re-evaluate the cat’s condition. If no one claims the animal, she’ll decide whether he would be suitable for adoption. Right now, he’s not.

Because the cat was found in Roxbury, veterinarian fees will be charged to the town. McKenna said she will seek reimbursement for the town from whomever is found guilty.

Hart said if McDonald is found guilty of the animal cruelty charge, he would be subject to a minimum fine of $500 up to a maximum fine of $2,500.

McKenna said she isn’t looking for donations or for people to adopt the cat. “I just want to find his owner,” she said.
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