An Omaha family is seeking justice after their cat "Pocket" was shot through the abdomen with an arrow. The cat's owner Jennie Barney says Pocket was let outside, and returned home a few hours later with what appeared to be a practice arrow through his body. “You could just hear him meowing in pain,” Barney said. “I started bawling instantly because I didn't think he was gonna make it, I knew he was gonna die.” They rushed Pocket to the vet, where doctors told Barney the arrow had likely struck vessels near his heart, and hit at least one vital organ. Surgery on his injuries would have cost thousands, with a 50 percent chance of survival. "We just couldn't afford it," Barney said. Later that evening, the family had Pocket euthanized. “We were just hugging him and kissing him and telling him it was okay and we loved him,” Barney said. The Nebraska Humane Society is investigating. They say incidents like these are rare -- but when they happen, the animal does not usually survive, and the person responsible is not usually caught. Investigators say they see cases like this every couple of years, and warn that even if a cat is on your property, it is unlawful to shoot it. “It would be a misdemeanor animal physical abuse charge, which is punishable by up to six months in jail or a $500 fine, or both,” says Kelli Brown, the Nebraska Humane Society’s director of field operations. Barney says Pocket was her 7-year-old son's best friend. “Some people think it's just a cat but it's not, that's someone's friend, that's someone's family,” she says. If you have any information that could help investigators, call the Humane Society at 402-444-7800, Extension 1.