Moomoo the cat's shooter hands himself in

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  An x-ray of the crossbow bolt that pierced the skull of a cat -Source: Massey University
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  The crossbow bolt that was removed from a cat's head -Source: Massey University

A Wainuiomata teenager has claimed responsibility for shooting a cat through the head with a crossbow bolt.

On Tuesday, Donna Ferari rushed four-year-old Moomoo to a veterinarian clinic after discovering him cowering in bushes with what looked like an arrow through his head.

Massey University vets managed to remove the bolt as it went in above the cat's left eye and out behind his ear but did not touch the brain.

However, an 18-year-old man handed himself into a local police station in connection with the incident.

He said the cat had walked into the crossbow being fired, Newstalk ZB reports.

Police have since interviewed him and seized the crossbow, but have yet to decide whether any charges will be laid.

Earlier, vet surgeon Dr Jonathan Bray said Moomoo was "extraordinarily lucky" to survive.

"The bolt went in just above the eye but was a glancing blow across the cranium so didn't actually impact on brain tissue at all," he said.

"It was really just a matter of opening up the track so we could clean up the contamination so it would heal up okay."

He added that the cat's wound appears to be healing well and he seems "bright and happy".