Cat that was shot, dumped into bay prompts growing reward

Lovey the cat is recovering far better than could be expected for a creature that was shot with at close range with a BB gun, stuck in a cat carrier and dumped into McCay Bay.

"She has approximately 30 BBs in her, but she is doing OK," said Nicole Shearer, a veterinary technician at the Florida Veterinary Specialists' Brandon office. "She is eating, rolling over, purring and looking for affection."

Lovey, who Shearer named after the Gilligan's Island character because "we figure she deserves to be treated like a princess for what she has been through and figure she was probably on a three hour tour," is garnering lots of affection.

Her case, though, is causing plenty of anger.

While the Humane Society of Tampa Bay announced a $500 reward to find whoever attacked Lovey, others are stepping forward with additional reward money.

George Hall and Rebecca Hall, who just opened Discount Battery Outlet in Bradenton two weeks ago, were so outraged by what happened to Lovey that they wrote a check for $500 to the Humane Society for the reward fund.

"This was an opportunity for us to help," said Hall. "Obviously, something is wrong with this individual or individuals that did this. It is a reflection of where society is going right now and we hope this donation is a catalyst to help raise awareness for abused and homeless animals."

Shearer said once Lovey recovers, she will be adopted by someone who works in her office.

"The foster is going to be someone in the company who has been working with her," Shearer said. "The chances are the way she is winning over hearts here, she will win over the home."

Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said investigators are still trying to find out who hurt Lovey.

Animal services, she said, is taking this attack seriously.

"There was a scorecard on side of carrier" that mentioned other cats killed, she said.

"We don't know whether that is real or part of fiction," she said. "But this is how really, really bad people begin. They practice."