Cat euthanized after gunshot

Like many on the Palouse, Kim Ware-BaDell and her husband Grahm BaDell were outside enjoying the warm weather and doing yard work Thursday evening.

They were joined by their one-year-old cat, Ducky, who was outside stalking bugs in the grass, but at about 8:36 p.m., that all changed.

Kim said she went inside to prepare dinner when, minutes later, Ducky came running into the house, bleeding from her side.

Grahm said he had watched Ducky go around the side of their home at the Robinson Mobile home Park on the 600 block of North Almon Street, when several minutes later he heard a loud bang.

"I didn't really think too much of it, but then I smelled some gunpowder and then I saw her run inside and I saw the look of terror on her face," Grahm said

Kim said her husband had only been about 25-feet away from Ducky when the alleged shooting occurred, but he did not see anyone in the area afterwards.

The couple rushed Ducky to the Washington State University 24-hour Veterinary Clinic where they were told the bullet, which was consistent with a .22 caliber, had injured the cat's kidney and it would cost approximately $8,000 to try and save her life.

Kim said the vet also could not guarantee that Ducky would survive the procedure due to the amount of blood loss she had suffered.

"We didn't have the funds, and she wasn't really all there anyways," Kim said, so the decision was made to euthanize the cat.

Kim said they reported the incident to the Moscow Police Department. Moscow Police Cpt. Will Krasselt said Friday that officers searched the area and talked to neighbors, but no one reported seeing anything suspicious or could identify a suspect.

The BaDells were traveling to the Boise area Friday to bury Ducky at Kim's family's farm.

In February, Moscow police responded to a similar case where a yellow labrador retriever was allegedly shot twice in the hind legs while it was in its owner's backyard on the 800 block of Indian Hills Drive.

The dog was taken to a veterinary clinic after his owner found him wounded in the yard. An examination of the two wounds concluded it was mostly likely caused by a .22 caliber firearm.

Krasselt said at the time of the alleged shooting, officers contacted neighbors who said the dog is often left in the yard without a leash, but it hardly ever barks or causes issues.

No suspects or leads in the case were identified, but the dog did recover from its injuries. It is unknown if the two cases are connected.

Anyone with information in either of these cases is asked to contact the Moscow Police Department at (208) 882-2677.

Katie Short can be reached at (208) 883-4633, or by email to kshort@dnews.com.