It seems like the proverb about nine lives of a cat happens to be true. A cat in Canada was shot for 17 times in head by a pellet gun and still fought back to life. A humane society from Ontario, Canada informed that the cat was in stable condition. However, the cat will need a surgery to recover completely.

CBC News reported that the cat which was later named Joe was under pain medication with antibiotics and fluids at one veterinary hospital, according to the Sarnia and District Humane Society. The society is appealing the public for identifying the culprit who injured the cat. The society called the incident a "horrific" case of animal cruelty.

According to Donna Pyette, the manager of the society, injured Joe was spotted in Bright's Grove on Sunday February 2. He was discovered by one man who was on his way back home from the Sunday mass at a local church. The society expects that the cat is going to be strong enough by next week when it will be possible to operate it for removing the pellets from his head. On the other hand, the cat is expected to lose one of the eyes in the process.

It will be a $5,000 bill for the treatment of the cat. Fortunately, the society has been able to get donations from various sources. Joe is going to be under the care of the Sarnia Humane Society and Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital. Thus, no application for fostering or adopting the cat is accepted at the moment.

According to Ms Pyette, the cat purred up "a storm" when she visited him at the clinic. The society has witnessed a rise in the number of cases of animal cruelty in 2014. There were about 20 to 25 such cases lodged for animal cruelty in the locality in January 2013 whereas the number was 38 in January 2014.

According to Ms Pyette, the cat was most likely to have been somehow immobilised before the culprit shot him with the pellet gun.