PLEASANT GAP — The Centre County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of Preeka the cat in Pleasant Gap after the cat returned home severely injured Monday, Sept. 14, prompting an outpouring of concern from residents and a $1,000 reward for information leading to a capture and conviction.
Unable to use her back legs, the small rescue cat pulled herself up the driveway of her Pleasant Gap home where she had learned to trust people.
Her owner, Molly Hetrick, initially thought Preeka had been hit by a car.
She soon learned something far more troubling had happened.
“It was so absolutely heartbreaking,” Hetrick said. “I knew she was really scared, but I scooped her up and put her right into a box that I had handy and literally jumped in the car.”
Within about 10 minutes, Preeka was at Metzger Animal Hospital. X-rays revealed a bullet lodged in her spine. She had no movement in her hindquarters and veterinarians told Hetrick there was nothing they could do.
Hetrick held Preeka as she was euthanized.
“I got to hold her while we said goodbye,” Hetrick said. “I’m so thankful that she got home to me. You know, someone did this to her somewhere and she drug herself back to me.”
Now, the Centre County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what Officer Mark Rusnak described as a potential aggravated animal cruelty case, a felony in Pennsylvania.
Spring Township Police initially received the report before turning the investigation over to Rusnak, who met with Hetrick and began collecting veterinary records and other evidence.
Rusnak said investigators are working to determine what type of weapon was used.
“I’m treating it as a potential aggravated animal cruelty case, which is a felony charge in Pennsylvania,” Rusnak said. “That’s kind of how I’m looking at it until proven otherwise.”
For Hetrick, however, the story began months before there was an investigation.
Preeka first appeared outside her home during the bitter cold of winter. Hetrick began feeding her and eventually had her spayed, vaccinated and microchipped through a trap-neuter-return effort.
She gave Preeka her own outdoor cat house and slowly began earning her trust.
“The more she spent time in my yard, the more we got to know each other, the more food I gave her,” Hetrick said. “She just was a darling, darling little cat.”
Eventually, Preeka began learning to live indoors and Hetrick hoped to fully integrate her into her household.
“I just fell completely in love with her,” she said.
On Monday morning, Preeka didn’t show up for breakfast.
That immediately worried Hetrick. Preeka rarely left the yard and normally sat on a small ladder outside the kitchen window watching Hetrick prepare her food.
Around 1 p.m., Hetrick looked outside and saw Preeka struggling home.
The incident has since drawn an outpouring of attention. Hetrick said strangers came to her home to help distribute flyers, while Rusnak said social media attention has generated leads.
One woman, Rusnak said, reported hearing what she believed was a gunshot during the night in the area where Preeka lived. At the time of his interview with The Gazette, Rusnak was heading into the neighborhood to speak with residents and look for possible surveillance footage.
A reward for information leading to a capture and conviction has now grown to $600.
Rusnak urged residents not to dismiss something they saw or heard because it seems unimportant.
“There’s nothing insignificant in cases like this,” Rusnak said. “It might be insignificant to them but it might be a make-or-break piece of evidence to me.”
Rusnak said he is devoting his shifts to the investigation and intends to pursue every lead.
“I will follow every single lead, no matter how minuscule people think it is,” he said.
Hetrick has a similar plea.
“Please report anything you saw or thought you heard or have a hunch about,” she said. “Any little piece can help us with the goal of catching this person.”
For Hetrick, finding whoever is responsible is also about making sure Preeka’s death means something.
“I need them to know that Preeka mattered and that somebody loved her,” Hetrick said. “It was not OK.”
But she stressed that Preeka’s value did not come simply from having an owner.
“Even if she had just been a stray or a colony cat, I would hope people would still take it seriously,” Hetrick said. “We can all be kind to any animal that just happens to be in need or be hungry.”
And amid the grief, Rusnak said the response has reminded him how much investigators depend on the people they serve.
“I can’t do this job by myself,” Rusnak said. “I always have an army of people right beside me.”
For Hetrick, that community now has one goal: finding out who hurt Preeka the cat who learned to trust, learned to play and, even after being gravely wounded, somehow found her way home.
