Roswell man pleads guilty to crossbow attack on cats
ROSWELL, Ga. - A Roswell man pleaded guilty Monday to shooting at least two cats with a crossbow, killing one and severely injuring another.
Furkids animal shelter has now rehabilitated the feline who survived and says he’s ready for adoption.
"We heard about a cat that was roaming around a neighborhood. They did not know if it was an arrow or a dart, they just knew there was something through its skull," said Diviya Roney, director of programs for cats at Furkids.
Roney says when they heard about this, her team sprang into action.
It took them five days to trap the cat in Roswell.
"When we saw him in the trap, I cannot tell you how heartbreaking that was. It was heartbreaking for our staff, it was traumatizing," Roney said.
They soon learned the object lodged in the cat’s skull was a crossbow bolt.
The team named him Patrick and immediately began working to rehabilitate him. According to an indictment obtained by FOX 5, Roswell police arrested Elvis Fistik for the crime and charged him with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty: one for shooting Patrick with a crossbow and for shooting and killing another cat with it.
"We don't understand, we will never understand why people do this," Roney said. Fistik has now pleaded guilty.
Roney testified at his sentencing hearing Monday morning.
"His excuse, and that's all I can call it, is he said that his wife or girlfriend at that time was pregnant and allergic to cats. But how does that excuse that? Who does that? So, somebody is allergic to something, so you go about killing and harming?" Roney said.
She says Fistik was sentenced to two years in prison.
A kind of justice she says they rarely see in animal cruelty cases.
"It's a very big deal. There are so many cats, so many animals in general that are victims of crime and people get away with it. And in this case, he did not get away with it and we are very, very thankful for that," Roney said.
Thanks to Roney and her team, Patrick has made a full recovery.
"He's fantastic. He eats, drinks, uses his letterbox. So, no special needs with him at all, he got very, very lucky," Roney said.
Which means he’s now ready to go to a good home.
"He needs a home, a safe home, a safe haven," Roney said.
They are now accepting adoption applications for Patrick; you can fill out an application here.
