Warning: The graphic image in this story may upset some readers.



A family have given up their cat after it was shot in the eye out of fears that it may happen to the animal again if it returns home.



The young cat was shot in the eye with a metal arrow in an attack a vet says was clearly deliberate.



The cat was rushed to the Manukau After Hours Veterinary Clinic in Auckland about 11pm Wednesday.



It is now recovering well from emergency surgery to remove the arrow, but could lose its eye.



Clinic manager Jedda Ford told Radio New Zealand the cat's teenage owner got the fright of his life when the cat crawled in through his bedroom window with the large metal arrow embedded in its eye.



She said it was clearly not accidental, given the direct hit.



Ford said there were two other similar attacks on cats in the Howick area last year.



Manukau Vet Clinic Head vet nurse Kirsty Spemann said safety and the need to preserve evidence meant the arrow was taken out of the cat's head with extra care.



"The arrow was pulled slowly back in the direction that it entered," she said.



"Special consideration had to be taken into account to preserve the fingerprints on the arrow.



"Luckily the arrow hadn't pierced the eye so the eye has been saved. It has been sutured closed to help in the healing process and calm the swelling.



"After 10 days the sutures will be taken out and we will re-evaluate if we need to do more surgery or remove the eye.



"At the moment she is on pain relief and antibiotics and is doing really well.



"We had offered to do the surgery free of charge and return her right from the start, it was not just about the money."



Spemann said the family chose not to take the cat home so it was not attacked again.



"The family have chosen not to take her home as they are very concerned that it was a deliberate attack from someone that lives in the neighbourhood," she said.



"They are also very worried about their other pets.



"In terms of behaviour [the cat] has not shown any signs of trauma and has coped with the whole ordeal fantastically. Even when she was first brought in she was calm and sat quietly in the cage. She took everything in her stride"



The public has shown great concern for the cat's welfare, Spemann said.



"The response we have had has been 99 per cent good," she said.



"We have started up a Givealittle page to try raise funds to find who did this.



"We want to get justice for the cat and make sure that this doesn't happen again.



"We have also had a little bit of negative feedback towards the family, with people targeting them for not wanting the cat returned.



"They were lovely people that were completely traumatised. They were very selfless and only had the cat's best interests in mind.



"Once the cat has recovered we will be accepting applications for ownership. We will go through them thoroughly so we can find the best home for her. It will all depend on whether she loses her eye."



So far four donations and $150 has been raised towards the cause through the Givealittle page.



The Auckland SPCA is investigating the incident.



https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/arrowcat