Rescue Cat Fatally Shot in Pleasant Gap, Reward Offered in Animal Cruelty Investigation

A rescue cat was euthanized on Monday afternoon after suffering a gunshot wound in a Pleasant Gap neighborhood, according to her owners and law enforcement.

The cat, Preeka, managed to drag herself home around 1 p.m. Monday, when an outdoor security camera captured footage of her returning to the house, said Humane Society Police Officer Mark Rusnak of the Centre County Sheriff’s Office. 

Preeka’s owners took her to an emergency veterinarian, where she was euthanized because of the severity of her injuries. A poster seeking information described Preeka as a “former stray who was vaccinated, microchipped and deeply loved.”

Rusnak is investigating the shooting as aggravated animal cruelty and said he is working to determine where the shooting occurred and what type of firearm was used. A projectile remains inside the cat and investigators are waiting to recover it for examination. 

“The shot had paralyzed the cat from about the mid-back on, so it was crawling home after it had happened,” Rusnak said. “So there’s obvious footage of that, and kind of footage of the general direction of where it came from.” 

The shooting is believed to have happened somewhere near the family’s home in Pleasant Gap in the area of Bilger Avenue, Middle Street, Main Street, Whitman Circle, Markle Street, Locust Street and Jodon Avenue. 

“I kind of expanded the search out pretty far from her house,” Rusnak said. “I know cats don’t typically wander that far away from where they live. I just wanted to be sure that I’m going to cover everything. My gut tells me that it happened relatively close to her house. Like I said, they stick pretty close to home.” 

Rusnak said he has several leads he is pursuing and plans to follow up in the neighborhood. 

“I’m also working on getting a couple other cats in the area out of there and re-homed so that they don’t face the same demise that that one did,” he said.

He urges residents who have outdoor cats to keep them inside while the investigation continues. 

Rusnak does not believe the shooting was directed at people, but said firing a gun in a densely populated neighborhood creates the possibility of a stray bullet injuring someone. The incident occurred in a residential area where children and families regularly walk, he said. 

“It’s shocking,” Rasnak said. “Especially given the area that it occurred in. You know, that’s a pretty densely populated area. I’ve spent every day up there, I’m in that area pretty much all day, and there’s kids and families walking the streets, and there’s a school right down the road. It’s alarming that that would happen in such a densely populated area like that, such a nice neighborhood.” 

It remains unclear whether the shooting was an isolated incident. Rusnak said he hopes it was but has concerns that the person responsible may have harmed animals before.

“I don’t know what kind of person it takes to do something like that,” he said. “It’s certainly not normal. It may not be their first time doing it. I don’t know anybody that just decides one day that they’re gonna walk outside and shoot a neighborhood cat, and have never done it before. So I don’t know if it’s isolated or not. I hope, but I doubt it.” 

A reward for information has grown to $600, according to Rusnak. The cat’s owners initially offered $250, while another community member offered to match that amount and another contributed $100. 

“I know more people want to put money into it too, so that could grow,” he said. “It’s just a community effort. It’s actually pretty cool to see that happening.” 

The reward is for verifiable information that leads to the identification, arrest and formal charging of the person responsible. Reward distribution will be determined through the Spring Township Police Department. 

Rusnak said any potential firearm-related violations would be handled separately by Spring Township police. His investigation is focused on the animal cruelty portion of the case. 

If a suspect is identified, Rusnak said he would handle the animal cruelty investigation and contact Spring Township police regarding any potential firearm violations.

Under Pennsylvania law, aggravated cruelty to an animal is a third-degree felony when intentional or knowing cruelty causes serious bodily injury or death. Rusnak said he is continuing to follow the available evidence, including the security camera footage and the projectile recovered from Preeka. 

“I’m kind of piecing everything together right now, and then I’m going to go out there and follow up with all these leads,” he said. “We’re waiting on getting the projectile out of the cat to try and determine what kind of weapon was used.” 

Rusnak became Centre County’s first full-time humane officer in 2024 and investigates animal cruelty and neglect cases throughout the county.

Anyone with information about the shooting or suspicious activity in the neighborhood is asked to contact Rusnak at 814-424-4368 or mwrusnak@centrecountypa.gov. The Spring Township Police Department can be reached at 814-355-5134 for information related to potential firearm violations.