Crystal Lake cat paralyzed by gunshot ‘getting better every day;’ shooter not identified

Since Timmy, a 5-year-old orange cat from Crystal Lake, returned home earlier this month, wounded by a bullet lodged in his spine, he has garnered national attention and raised more than $17,000 to help pay for his care.

But there still are no leads on who shot him, Crystal Lake police said Friday.

Timmy, paralyzed from the waist down, still drags himself around by his front paws, and veterinarians say he likely will live out the rest of his life that way.

“He is getting better every day,” said his owner Kylie Rodriguez, who found him last year in her backyard and adopted him. “His mood is changing, but he is not hiding anymore, so that is good.”

Timmy spends much of his time these days under the family’s Christmas tree and watching bird videos. He meows and looks at the door as if he wants to go outside, Rodriguez said, and she reminds him he can no longer do that.

Rodriguez, who with her husband has five children ages 5 through 15, said that with Timmy’s condition, it is as if she has a baby again. She has to squeeze his abdomen daily so he can urinate and to prevent infection. This will go on for the rest of his life. At nighttime, he wears a diaper.

She has created an Instagram, @Timmy_the invinciblecat, and has received donations, calls and messages from numerous strangers from across the country offering suggestions to help Timmy, as well as notes of concern and empathy. Some have sent gifts to Timmy.

The family is taking his condition one day at a time. Rodriguez said she reminds herself that they “are both getting a hang of things … trying to figure it all out.”

On Thursday, she took Timmy to a physical therapist, and she said Timmy will start regular physical therapy, acupuncture, and laser and hydrotherapy. She also plans on hiring a veterinarian nurse to come to her house a few times a week and help with Timmy’s needs.

Gabrielle Riccio, a veterinarian at Companion Animal Specialty and Emergency in Crystal Lake, was the first vet to see him that day.

She was “shocked” after doing an X-ray and seeing a bullet lodged in his spine. She said she has no doubt someone shot him with a firearm rather than a BB gun because of the shape of the bullet. Additionally, a BB would pierce only the fatty tissue, and this bullet went through bone, she said.

“My first thought, I was pretty shocked,” Riccio said. “You don’t want to believe something like this could happen ever. We just really felt upset for the cat because he didn’t deserve this, and the family, too. It is not something you ever expect to happen or want to happen.”

Removing the bullet, which “completely transected” his spinal cord, is not an option, Riccio said.

“It could do more harm than good, and it is not really going to change things,” she said.

Although it is most likely that he will live out his life paralyzed, Riccio also offered a glimmer of hope: “Never say never. Cats are wild. They can do amazing things.”

Riccio said the Rodriguez family is “really dedicated” and is learning to adapt to Timmy’s “new normal,” even though Timmy’s care does not come without challenges. Physical therapy will “be great for him,” she said. It will help regain some function, build muscles he now relies on at the front upper part of his body, and prevent muscle atrophy.

The investigation into who shot Timmy remains open, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann said Friday.

Rodriguez still is offering a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person who shot Timmy. She said she is grateful for the outpouring of kindness and the donations.

She loves that Timmy is getting so much positive attention, although she wishes it wasn’t for this reason. She said she and her family will do “whatever we can to give Timmy his best life.”

Rodriguez set up a GoFundMe for Timmy, which can be found by going to gofundme.com and searching “Help Timmy with Vet Bills and Care.”