A sea of helplessness, outrage, and pain overwhelms the heart of Laura Pereira, a young woman from Pontevedra, Spain. When she saw her cat return home after being missing for 15 days, she could not comprehend how far cruelty and evil can go in this world.
The events took place in the Lérez–La Torre area.
Apparently, the little cat was used to coming and going from the family property. Although Coqui was not actually Laura’s pet, he showed up there one day and never wanted to leave. From then on, he never lacked food, shelter, or affection.
But on his last outing to explore, he became the victim of a horrific atrocity.
“What’s left of Coqui crawled back home. He was shot at least 17 times with a pellet gun, one of them in an eye, which became infected and he lost it,” Laura recounted.
Laura immediately took Coqui to the Peluxa veterinary clinic, where they quickly made a heartbreaking discovery:
“They must have locked him up and tortured him in order to shoot him 17 times. He has another pellet very close to the other eye, so he almost lost both. Perhaps thinking he was dead, they then let him go. He is also malnourished and dehydrated.”
She later said that despite everything the little creature has suffered, his spirit remains unbroken. “His mood is very good. He’s a strong, affectionate cat. The poor thing hasn’t even complained,” she said.
Laura shared updates on Coqui’s progress in a heartbreaking post that has been shared more than 5,000 times.
Although Laura’s intention was only to expose Coqui’s case in order to report what happened—as she later did with SEPRONA and the Civil Guard—she did not escape criticism for having let him go outside. She explained that since he was not entirely hers, she could not fully answer for that:
“My relatives who were in charge that day thought they were doing what was best for the cat by letting him explore and be free. I ask you, please, not to attack us as irresponsible, because the guilt is already eating us all alive,” she stated.
“The responsibility is entirely ours; that’s why we are not asking for financial help or anything other than information and justice. But the blame lies entirely with whoever did this,” she affirmed.
Laura is only asking for help to identify the heartless person responsible.
In another post, she shared updates on his condition and said that Coqui had already undergone surgery to remove his eye and extract three more pellets (out of the eleven that were still inside his body).
“He has a family to stay with, one that will make sure he never again experiences the fear he must have felt during this brutal attack—a family that loves him,” she added, bringing relief to many.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, everyone. Coqui is safe now.”
She also wrote an inspiring message that has begun to spread widely on social media.
“The violence used against him will only escalate… whoever did this could do even more harm to another animal—or who knows to whom. Coqui is just the visible face of a reality that happens every day.”
She urged people to applaud and give visibility to all those hidden heroes out there who go out into the streets to feed and care for animals that are not theirs, making up for the mistakes of others.
“Every day, thousands of animals suffer the consequences of what we humans cause with our actions.”
She ended with a clear warning:
“Take responsibility for your actions. Don’t buy animals—choose adoption. Consider giving a chance to that old one who has spent so many years in a shelter waiting for a quiet place and affection for their final years; to that little cat with one leg (or one eye); to those two siblings who come as a pair because they are happier together.”
Finally, an animal rescue group warned that, sadly, this brutal attack is not an isolated case.
Cases like Coqui’s must never happen again. It is outrageous how far human cruelty can go. It seems there is no bottom, but it is in our hands to report these situations and protect with all our strength the animals under our care, as if they were our own children.
