To the editor:

This is a public notice to anyone who has beloved pets in or near Green Valley. Over two weeks ago, our cat came home after being missing for a couple days. She was very weak so we brought her to the vet. We discovered she had been shot with a pellet gun, requiring surgery and stitches and weeks of recovery.

Understandably, finding out that someone shot one of our family members, someone we’ve loved for 10 years, someone who became family as soon as we met her and her sister, that it was an intentional act against her, it made us madder than wet hens.

Someone has decided that it’s OK to shoot pets, harmless and wonderful animals. Our cat is one of the sweetest, gentlest and friendliest of animals. She doesn’t cause trouble, nor does she get into fights with other animals; whoever shot her probably went out of his or her way to shoot her, to intentionally cause harm to her.

She has almost fully recovered physically but her emotional healing will take much longer; all of our friends and family have been praying for her, for her healing. Forgiveness may come, but it will not be for a long, long time. We need to pray for her shooter, that none of his or her beloved pets ever meet the wrong end of a gun, that he or she doesn’t see his or her beloved animal suffer the way our cat has.

Whoever you are, know that we probably will never forgive you, that we feel sorry for you because to do such a thing to a sweet animal must mean you have a cold and bitter heart (if you have any heart at all), and that we will never forget what you’ve done. The scars on or cat’s belly may fade, but the scars in her memory and in our hearts will not.

Beverly Viergutz

Green Valley