A cat is dead and a kitten nearly lost her life after being shot with darts from a blowgun in Erin, Tennessee. The kitten, now named Zena Princess Warrior, had a dart driven completely through her torso. She needed $10,000 in emergency surgery just to survive, paid for through the efforts of Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue and Nashville Veterinary Specialists.

Erin Police have charged Darlene Hooper with three felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Two juveniles were also taken into custody in Houston County and charged in juvenile court with three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals each. Hooper faces two additional charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and her bond has been set at $8,000.

An adult allegedly involved two children in the torture of helpless animals. That should never be treated as a minor offense. Aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony in Tennessee for a reason: because deliberately maiming and killing defenseless animals is a serious crime, and because cruelty inflicted on animals by young people, especially when an adult is implicated in enabling it, demands real consequences and real intervention.

We're calling on the District Attorney for Houston County to pursue the maximum penalties available under Tennessee's aggravated animal cruelty and delinquency statutes against everyone charged in this case, and to ensure the juveniles involved receive the accountability and intervention they need so this doesn't happen again.

Zena is recovering. The animals of Erin, Tennessee deserve to know that anyone who hurts them, and anyone who puts a child up to it, will face real consequences. Sign the petition to demand full prosecution in Zena's case, before another animal pays the price for someone else's cruelty.