Two cats shot, killed at Bluffton colony in four days. ‘How could people be so cruel?’

The deaths of two feral felines near a Bluffton cat colony came one after the other. Both animals were killed by gunfire, prompting public outcry and a police investigation to find a suspect in the shocking acts of animal cruelty.

Stitch, a young white cat living in the shelter behind the Kroger on U.S. 278, was found Feb. 29 behind the Chow Daddy’s restaurant, paralyzed by a single gunshot wound from a .22 round. She was taken to a local veterinarian’s office, where she had to be euthanized.

Four days later, volunteers found an older black cat named Whitney near the edge of the woods behind the shopping center. The cat appeared to have been shot and killed by a single BB gun pellet to the head.

“It’s hard when (the cats) get old and they pass away, or when they get hit by a car. But to have them shot — I just never thought we’d see that,” said Deb, the volunteer who discovered Stitch with a gunshot injury during a routine trip to feed the cats. She asked to only have her first name published.

For years, the Hilton Head area has witnessed friction between cats and humans, with some residents attempting to relocate shelters or throw away cats’ food — but overt violence toward the animals is a relatively new occurrence. Critics of the colonies say the animals are “nuisances” in proximity to residential areas and businesses, while proponents argue that the programs help the community avoid the overpopulation of feral cats, an issue that exists nationwide.

The volunteers describe their work as a grassroots movement to care for the Bluffton area’s feral cats — but they prefer the term “community cats” to describe the animals. They have no formal group name and are separate from the local nonprofit All About Cats, but with identical goals: trapping, neutering and releasing local strays to end their breeding cycle and control population growth, while also feeding and caring for the current cat citizenry during twice-daily visits.

Kathy Kline, another helper for the grassroots group, said volunteers’ reactions to the sudden deaths range “from shock to outrage.” She specializes in trapping unfixed cats and taking them to local veterinarians to have them spayed or neutered.

The two cats’ killings are under investigation by the Bluffton Police Department. Spokesperson Sgt. Bonifacio Perez believes the two incidents were carried out by the same person, but said investigators “don’t have much to go on.” Surveillance video from businesses in the area does not seem to have captured the culprit.

Considering the colony’s proximity to the Comfort Suites Hotel on Fording Island Road, Perez said it’s possible the suspect is no longer in the area. Still, he said, Bluffton officers have “stepped up” patrols near the township’s cat communities. Volunteers have previously said there are about 20 colonies in the Bluffton area, most of which consist of small wooden shelters containing food and water bowls.

Anyone with information on the deaths of Stitch and Whitney are encouraged to call Beaufort County’s non-emergency dispatch number at 843-524-2777.

PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible, the animal rights organization announced Friday.

‘She didn’t get attacked by an animal’

Deb described Stitch as a “sweetheart” who was maybe two or three years old. The black-and-white cat, lovingly nicknamed “Milk Carton” by Chow Daddy’s employees, would bound out to greet her whenever she arrived at the feeding station.

But as the volunteer pulled in the morning of Feb. 29, there was no greeting. Instead, Deb heard the cat’s cries from afar, finding a blood-soaked Stitch unable to walk. She rushed the ailing animal to Bluffton’s Coastal Animal Clinic, suspecting a raccoon or other predator had attacked it.

Deb recalled the shocking revelation that came later that morning, after Stitch was X-rayed: “She didn’t get attacked by an animal,” the veterinarian told her. “She was shot. There was a .22 bullet.”

Doctors euthanized Stitch later that day, saying recovery was nearly impossible for the cat. The bullet had pierced through her neck and struck her spinal cord, rendering her paralyzed.

Whitney was an “older cat” and a familiar face for Deb, she told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. The black cat had lived in the area for around 14 years, nearly the entirety of the woman’s 16-year service as caretaker for that colony.

That’s why she assumed Whitney had died of natural causes — but before the cat was cremated at a local pet hospital, staff found a bullet hole in the back of her head.

The second killing in less than a week left the volunteer in a state of shock. “How could people be so cruel to innocent little animals?” Deb said. “I just don’t get that.”

Feline fracas in Beaufort County

Opposition to the county’s cat communities from business owners and residents is fairly common, according to Kline. At times, local volunteers have dealt with people throwing away the animals’ food and water bowls or crusading to relocate the shelters. In October 2022, another cat colony behind Pritchardville Elementary School was found “totally obliterated” by an unknown vandal, although no feline residents were harmed in the incident.

In May of last year, tenants of the Spa on Port Royal Sound apartments in Hilton Head took their complaints of feces and nocturnal yowling to Town Council, asking officials to relocate All About Cats’ nearby 1.2-acre sanctuary. Despite similar anti-cat campaigns dating back to 2018, the live oak-laden property off Beach City Road is still home to approximately 80 feline denizens. Council members said removing the colony would likely require changes to the town’s land management ordinance (LMO).

Volunteers in the area say that direct violence toward the cats was unheard of until now. Some are worried it might get worse.

“Every time I pull in, I’m worried who I’m going to find next,” Deb said in an interview Friday. “We have to do something.”

Sherree Capello, president of the All About Cats nonprofit, urged residents experiencing issues with community cats to contact Beaufort County Animal Services so the animals can be safely relocated and cared for.

Anyone wishing to donate toward food and veterinarian services for the Bluffton area’s community cats can contact Kathy Kline at 843-368-0167.