Normally we go online and see cats at their most funny. The memes of 'Grumpy Cat' that will live on forever, cats shoving themselves in the tiniest of boxes, nonchalantly pushing things off the counter, you know, normal silly cat stuff.

As a cat owner, I have an extra soft spot for the little floofs. So when I saw this story, my heart shattered into a million little pieces.

As reported by the Sun Journal, two and a half-year-old black cat, Alex went missing for a few days. His owner, Amber looked all through the neighborhood with no luck and feared the worst.

She did not expect what actually happened.

Alex showed up last Friday early in the morning. Amber's boyfriend, Khamree spotted the cat outside with his back legs limp behind him waiting to come inside. Alex, fortunately, didn't appear to be in any pain.

With his legs limp, his fur on the tops of his back paws was scraped bare, according to Amber which indicates the cat had quite a long journey back home.

Once the vet was open Alex was brought in to see what was going on. An X-ray revealed that a bullet was lodged in Alex's spine.

Sadly, due to the costs of surgery and a feline wheelchair, their only option was euthanasia.

Amber expressed that she never would have expected this to happen in her "kid-friendly" neighborhood. Police are now investigating and identifying the case as aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Amber and her family are offering a reward for any information that will lead to a conviction of the individual who shot her beloved cat. If you have any info call Wendell Stout (207) 513-3001 Ext. 6322, or Lt. David St. Pierre at Ext. 3323.

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