Who shot Hazel the cat, costing her a leg?

ELMWOOD PARK — Who shot Hazel the cat, and left her needing to have a leg amputated?

The 2-year-old Bengal cat, who belongs to Tal Daniel Kocen of Elmwood Park and his family, disappeared on Saturday, June 23 and was not found until the following Tuesday when Kocen's wife heard Hazel "yowling" from a yard two houses down.

She followed the noise and brought Hazel home, but discovered she had been shot in the rear leg, Kocen told New Jersey 101.5.

"I came home and rushed her to the vet," said Kocen, who is a big fan of the breed.

The vet at Oradell Anmal Hospital showed him an X-ray with a dark mass and started talking about trajectories.

"Wait a minute. Trajectory? What does that mean"" Kocen said he asked the vet, who he said broke the news Hazel had been shot.

"It's just so shocking. And it wasn't a BB either because a BB wouldn't deform. Whatever went in sort of mushroomed out. It's either a bullet or a pellet" that badly damaged Hazel's left leg, which had to be amputated, Kocen said. "The actual projectile is still embedded in her lower back. They couldn't get it out because its too deep in the muscle. They didn't want to have to dig to get it out because that itself could cause more damage."

An Elmwood Police detective is working the case, according to Kocen.

"She is recovering well. She is very quickly getting back and figuring out how to get around on three legs. It's amazing," Kocen said, adding that out of necessity, she's figuring out how to compensate for the missing leg. "From what I've read 99 percent of animals that have an amputation are back to normal within a couple of months. They figure it out and move on with life."

Kocen said Hazel is "not just any cat. She's a Bengal cat, descended from the Asian leopard cat. He said as such, she's got large spots like a Bengal tiger and human-like hair that doesn't shed.

They're also much more sociable than other cats and can even learn to play fetch.

"I've been in love with the breed for a lot of years," he said.

Elmwood Police ask anyone with information about the case to call them at 201-796-0700.

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