Two West Deptford cats are home after suspected shootings—with permanent injuries

Small pieces of metal were embedded in Bast’s shattered leg bone. On the outside, his owner had seen only a little blood and a limp. The X-rays revealed an injury surgeons could not repair. ¹

Bast has now lost his front left leg, and another West Deptford cat, Buttons, has lost an eye. Both needed emergency surgery after suspected shootings in the New Jersey community. Both have returned home, but the injuries they must learn to live with are permanent. Police are investigating two separate incidents and have not publicly established a connection between them. ^{1 4}

For Bast’s owner, Margie Green, the first sign of trouble looked less serious. She told CBS Philadelphia that Bast ordinarily spends time in her fenced-in backyard. He escaped Wednesday and returned hours later, limping with a small amount of blood on his leg. Green initially thought he had fought with another animal. She took him for urgent veterinary care. ¹

“When they did the X-rays, the bone was shattered and there were small pieces of metal embedded in the bone,” Green said. His front left leg could not be saved. He is now recovering at home and learning to move on three legs. ¹

Less than 48 hours after the first case came in for care, Buttons arrived at Epic Vet Urgent Care in Cherry Hill with a gunshot wound to an eye. Dr. Emily Volk described extensive damage: “For Buttons, the face was really nearly destroyed and Buttons ended up losing an eye.” Buttons also underwent emergency surgery. ¹

That short interval describes when the cats were presented for treatment—not a precisely established gap between the shootings. What alarmed Volk was having two cats from the same community arrive with gunshot injuries in close succession. She contacted West Deptford Police. ¹

Police place one incident near Ford and May avenues and the other near Crown Point Road and Church Street. CBS’s account places Bast’s injury near Green’s Ford Avenue home and identifies the Crown Point Road area as the location of the second case. Those descriptions do not establish the precise spot where either shot was fired or what happened while Bast was away. ^{1 3}

Investigators say the cats’ injuries are consistent with a small-caliber firearm or a pellet gun. That is an assessment of the wounds, not identification of a recovered weapon or confirmation of its caliber. Police have not publicly linked the cases, and the reporting does not establish a common shooter, a common weapon or a motive. ^{1 3}

The similarity and proximity are reasons to investigate a possible connection, not proof of one. Keeping that distinction clear does not diminish the harm: two cats have suffered disabling injuries regardless of whether one person was responsible.

The exact calendar chronology also remains unsettled. In their October 25 accounts, News 12 described police being contacted Thursday, while NJ.com gave October 23 as the notification date and also referred to Thursday. October 23 fell on Friday in 2026. That inconsistency leaves the notification date unclear; it does not establish either shooting’s date. ^{3 4}

The available reporting identifies no suspect or arrest. That is not the same as establishing that investigators have no leads. Police say they are taking the investigation seriously and are asking anyone with information to call 856-853-4599 or email Detective Goggin at [email protected], according to CBS Philadelphia. ^{1 3}

Green has already changed how she cares for her animals: she is no longer allowing her pets outside unsupervised. She hopes whoever hurt Bast is caught quickly. Her description of what happened is also a reminder of what an animal-cruelty investigation means inside a household. ¹

Volk expects both cats to need a few weeks to heal and adjust and says they should make a full recovery. That remains a prognosis, not confirmation that healing is complete. Recovery here means healing and adapting after surgery; it cannot restore Bast’s leg or Buttons’s eye. They are home, but the consequences of what happened to them will remain. ^{1 4}