Pumpkin the cat was shot with an arrow and it was no accident.  Pumpkin is a fighter, and that's why he's still alive.

A veterinarian said the arrow just missed his major organs.  "He's got a lot of infection. The wound was full of maggots from top to bottom and they were quite a good size.  So it's been in there probably two or three days for it to be in that condition," said Diane Veale with the Country Doctor Vet Clinic.

(Photo's courtesy of Fox News 8 and the Star Beacon)

Police are still looking for the shooter.  If anyone has any information on this case please call the Ashtabula Police at 440-992-7172.

If you'd like to make a donation for Pumpkin's care and get adoption information about him go to http://acapl.net/.

Since Pumpkin is a stray cat, donations are needed to help pay for his medical expenses. Donations can be made out to the APL through the weblink above or by mail at 5970 Green Road, Ashtabula, OH 44004.   Donors can write “Pumpkin” on the check.

Pumpkin also will need a home after he recovers from his ordeal. Anyone interested in adopting him should call (440) 224-1222.

Update 10/7/08:

  (Photo courtesy of News Net 5)  Pumpkin is recovering after having been shot in the back with an arrow.  The 1-year-old orange tabby suffered for about three days with the arrow sticking out of his body.

“He’s a very lucky cat,” said Jefferson veterinarian Diane Veale, who removed the arrow. “The arrow entered from the top, traveled down the side of his rib cage and shattered his front leg.”

The cat, named Pumpkin by Animal Protective League staff, may need to have his right leg amputated, Veale said, adding she will know more in a day or two on whether she can save the leg.

Veale spent about 45 minutes, cleaning the wound of maggots and removing the arrow. “This was not an accident,” she said. “This arrow had a field point on it.” Field points usually are used for target shooting.

The city’s animal control officer, Bob Cevera, also believes the injury was not an accident. He saw the cat while picking up some paperwork at the APL.  “People need to know they can’t be shooting cats,” he said.  “It seems like a real nice cat,” Cevera said.

Theresa Davies, one of the APL’s feline caregivers, said a woman who feeds stray cats brought Pumpkin into the APL.
“It’s pretty sad, actually,” Davies said. “(Pumpkin) seemed tired, but he ate a whole can of cat food.”  Davies drove the cat to the Country Doctor Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson, where Veale then took care of him.

Reference:

News Net 5

Star Beacon

Fox News 8