In June 2026, Eastweek reported that an orange community cat in Shenzhen was found with its ear pierced by a fish spear or crossbow-like projectile. Residents who had long fed and cared for the cat searched for days with rescuers, and the cat was finally captured and taken to a veterinary hospital in the early hours of June 7. The report also said another tabby cat nearby had previously been hit in the back and rescued, suggesting deliberate harm against community cats rather than an isolated accident.

A small orange cat cared for by neighbors

The report says the orange cat was born to a community stray. Nearby residents fed the mother cat while she was pregnant; after the kittens were born and the mother later disappeared, neighbors took turns caring for the young cat. Because people knew the cat, they quickly noticed something was wrong and contacted the young couple who had long looked after it.

On the morning of June 4, the cat was found with its ear injured by a fish spear or crossbow-like object. In public images, a black arrow-like object passes near the ear. For a small cat surviving on neighborhood kindness, this was not ordinary injury; it carried the cruelty of deliberate attack.

Days of searching and a late-night rescue

The caretakers tried to take the cat for treatment, but the frightened animal escaped. The next day they found it again under a car, used food to lure it for more than an hour, and still could not get close. By the time veterinary staff arrived to help, the cat had disappeared among alleyways and vehicles.

Residents, feeders, veterinary staff and rescuers continued searching. Eastweek reported that at 1:45 a.m. on June 7, the cat was finally captured and taken to hospital. A veterinarian said it was highly alert, hissing when touched; because the ear wound was close to the head, infection risk and further treatment needed attention.

Not the first community cat hit

The report also said this orange cat was not the first community cat hit by such an object. Another tabby nearby had earlier been struck in the back and was rescued in time. That makes the danger concrete rather than hypothetical, and suggests a pattern rather than a single accident.

A crossbow bolt or fish spear is designed to pierce. Using it on cats is not deterrence, not a joke, and not discipline. It is deliberate harm to vulnerable animals and a violation of the safety that neighbors tried to maintain.

Treatment comes first, but the questions remain

Rescuers said many online commenters suggested reporting the case to police. But when the cat was rescued, the projectile had already fallen off, and without direct witnesses it might be difficult to open a case. The rescuers focused first on treatment and promised to keep updating the cat's condition.

This archive records the case not as a substitute for law enforcement, but to preserve clear facts: a piercing object was shot at a community cat; residents spent days trying to save it; another cat nearby had reportedly been hit before. Kindness brought the cat back to hospital, but whether the attacker is found and whether community cats can live safely remain questions worth keeping in public memory.

Timeline

• 2026-06-04: An orange community cat in Shenzhen was found with its ear injured by a fish spear or crossbow-like projectile.
• 2026-06-05 to 06-06: Caretakers, neighbors, veterinary staff and rescuers searched repeatedly and tried to capture the cat.
• Early 2026-06-07: The cat was rescued and taken to hospital for pain relief, observation and further treatment.
• Reported context: Another tabby nearby had previously been hit in the back and rescued.

Public Sources

• Eastweek: Shenzhen cat's ear pierced by arrow-like projectile