ONTARIO - You'd be cranky, too, if you had been shot with an arrow.
An orange-and-white domestic shorthair, estimated to be 2 to 4 years old, is recuperating at the Humane Society of Richland County.
The cat, named Oliver Queen, had an appointment Monday at Phillips Animal Hospital in hopes of having two drain tubes, one in his neck and one in his side, removed.
Doctors determined the tubes will have to stay there until at least Friday.
"He's back with us and still grouchy," shelter director and humane agent Missy Houghton said. "I don't think he's a super-social guy. He just wants to be left alone.
"Unfortunately, we can't do that. He's just going to have to put up with us."
Oliver Queen, named after a fictional character in the TV show "Arrow," was shot early last week. The arrow missed his heart by 2 inches.
"It seems unlikely that it was not intentional, but there's no way to prove that," Houghton said.
Houghton got the news from a dispatcher after someone called the sheriff's office. She found the cat on Ankneytown Road in Bellville.
Houghton said Oliver Queen was in obvious discomfort but allowed the humane agent to handle her.
Oliver Queen had to be sedated at Phillips Animal Hospital to have the arrow removed and drain tubes inserted, but did not have to undergo surgery.
"It missed all the important stuff," Houghton said of the arrow, which entered through his back.
Oliver Queen's prognosis is positive.
"He's got some digestion issues, too, that we're dealing with," Houghton said.
She estimates Oliver Queen will be available for adoption in three or four weeks.
"He's not a feral. He was at somebody's house where they feed a lot of stray cats," she said. "He's somewhat timid but can be picked up and held."
Anyone who would like to donate to Oliver Queen's medical expenses can do so by going to the humane society's Facebook page and clicking on the PayPal link or stopping by the shelter at 3025 Park Ave. W. in Ontario.
Donations are tax deductible.
mcaudill@gannett.com