A young boy in Holdenville, Oklahoma stepped outside Wednesday evening and found his two-year-old cat Snyder with an arrow through him.
Snyder is alive. The arrow missed every vital organ.
What Happened
The Carpenter family rushed Snyder to Morphis Veterinary Services in Seminole.
Gina Carpenter rode with him in the backseat. “There were times I wasn’t sure if he was breathing or not, you know, and it would scare me,” she said.
Snyder, for his part, stayed remarkably calm throughout the drive.
“He did really good throughout the whole thing, he really didn’t act like it bothered him at all,” said Addison Winter, an assistant at Morphis Veterinary Services.
What the Vet Found
Dr. Baylee Morphis examined Snyder and found that the arrow had passed through his elbow and exited near his chest.
It missed the chest cavity entirely. It missed every vital organ.
Staff noted that Snyder was purring during treatment. By the numbers, he had no reason to be alive and every reason to be calm about it.
“Despite how bad it looked, Snyder was incredibly lucky,” KFOR reported.
What Police Know
Holdenville Police said the case is actively under investigation.
The family told police that a neighbor had been painting a bow in their front yard on the morning of the incident. Police said they had not yet been able to speak with that person.
No charges have been filed and nobody has been identified as a suspect.
What Oklahoma Law Covers
Intentionally injuring an animal in Oklahoma falls under Title 21, Section 1685 of state statutes, which covers cruelty to animals. Depending on the circumstances, charges can range from a misdemeanor carrying up to one year and a $5,000 fine, to a felony for more serious acts of cruelty.
No charges have been filed in this case. What charges may follow, if any, depends on what the investigation finds.
Why This Matters
Arrow injuries in cats are not as rare as they should be, and they follow a pattern. The animal survives the initial wound because arrows, unlike bullets, cause a narrow wound channel. Vital organs are sometimes missed entirely.
What does not survive is the owner’s sense of safety on their own property. Trehvor Carpenter’s son found his cat this way. That is not something a family recovers from quickly, regardless of the medical outcome.
Zoe, a community cat in West Palm Beach, lost a leg this year after being shot near a flea market. Her case is still under investigation. The Lexington community cat case showed how narrow the legal options can be when an animal is injured and no one has been charged yet.
Snyder made it. The family is still waiting for answers.
If you have information about this case, contact Holdenville Police Department directly.
Have you ever had a pet injured and been left without answers? Tell us in the comments.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. No charges have been filed. This is an active investigation. Contact local authorities to report information.