Kristen Lindsey from Brenham, Texas, allegedly hunted the animal down and shot it with a bow believing it was feral and then posted the image on Facebook

A veterinarian has been fired from her clinic after she posted a horrifying image of her holding a cat she had killed by firing an arrow into its head on Facebook.

Kristen Lindsey, 31, who lives in Brenham, Texas, allegedly hunted the animal down in her backyard and shot it with a bow, believing it was feral.

But a local rescue center say the cat, believed to be called Tiger, was domesticated and had been missing for around two weeks.

Beneath the shocking image, Lindsey, a Wyoming native, wrote: 'My first bow kill... lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's head. Vet of the year award... gladly accepted.'

She also said in a comment, before she learned she no longer had a job: 'And no I did not lose my job. Psshh. Like someone would get rid of me. I'm awesome.'

The Colorado State graduate lost her job at the Washington Animal Clinic after the image began circulating online and staff have since been distancing themselves from the former employee.

Staff at released a statement on Facebook on Friday saying: 'We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct.

'We have parted ways with Ms. Lindsey. We do not allow such conduct and we condemn it in the strongest possible manner,' the clinic said in the statement.'

'Please know that when informed of this we responded swiftly and appropriately and please do not impute this awful conduct to the Washington Animal Clinic or any of its personnel.'

Local prosecutors are now considering whether she should face criminal charges.

A Facebook page, called 'justice for the cat murdered by Kirsten Lindsey' has already been 'liked' by more than 7,000 people.

A video of the six-year-old cat that Lindsey is believed to have killed riding on top of a tractor has also surfaced online.

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Lindsey, pictured with her mother Becky, said after the picture was uploaded that she didn't lose her job - claiming no one would fire her because she is 'awesome'. However she later learned she had been fired

Local prosecutors are now considering whether she should face criminal charges. She was also slammed online with a number of people saying she should lose her veterinarian licence

Austin County Sheriff Jack Brandes says he was disturbed by the image.

He told KBTX: 'This kind of stuff shouldn't happen in our society,' Brandes said. 'It's a very sad thing.

'Hopefully we will get to the bottom of it and get the truth, 100 per cent truth, and get it to the DA and put it in his hands if it needs to go any further.'

The Texas Veterinary Medical Association also condemned her reactions, insisting her conduct does not reflect the standards of other vets.

In a statement, they said: 'The Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) strongly condemns the actions of a veterinarian who claims to have recently shot and killed a feral cat with the use of a bow and arrow.

'The veterinarian, who worked in Brenham, Texas, and is not a TVMA member, posted a picture of herself holding the deceased cat on her personal Facebook page along with some insensitive remarks about the incident.

A video of the six-year-old cat that Lindsey is believed to have killed riding on top of a tractor has also surfaced online

The Colorado State graduate lost her job at the Washington Animal Clinic (pictured) after the image began circulating online. She has yet to respond to the image

'This individual’s actions directly violate the veterinarian’s oath taken to use his or her “scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.”

'We are saddened and disturbed by the unfortunate actions of this individual, and we remind Texas residents that this conduct is not reflective of the veterinary profession or of the veterinarians who strive to embody the words of the veterinarian’s oath every day.

'Upon learning of the troubling misconduct, the Brenham clinic where the veterinarian was practicing immediately condemned her actions and terminated her employment.

'The clinic’s ownership and staff have expressed their deepest shock and disgust at such behavior and are regretful that the individual acted in a manner that so drastically deviated from the conduct and values the clinic has upheld in its community for years.

'We hope you will stand strong with us against this type of behavior against animals. TVMA values the trust built between veterinarians and the public based on mutually shared care for animals.

The clinic issued a statement confirming Lindsey had been fired and distanced themselves from the employee. They said they were 'disgusted' by her conduct

'We hope that we can unite to prevent actions like this from occurring in the future.

She was also condemned online by a number of people in her profession.

Larry Wallace, who said he had been a veterinarian for 40 years, said on Facebook: 'I have never in my long career heard of such an atrocious act by a member of my profession.

'This person most be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

'She took an oath to protect and heal not to killing innocent life. I will be contacting my national association about this matter as she has tarnished the profession for which she has chosen.'

Underneath the clinic's statement, Sheilah Christensen wrote: 'She needs to be in jail for animal abuse - follow your state state statutes re animal abuse. Take her license away -- my God, what did she do to the animals in her care at your clinic.'

Cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor under penal code 42.092: “A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or causes serious bodily injury to an animal.”

Lindsey interned at Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery in Weatherford from 2012 to 2013.

She created a personal blog called Wyo-Girl-Kristen Lindsey and posted about herself in 2011, saying: 'I love Wyoming and the mountains....the Big Horns especially...but any will do when it really comes down to it.