Clark the cat rests in a kennel at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook on Wednesday. Pellets from a 16-gauge shotgun, fired by a law enforcement officer who thought the cat was rabid, shattered one bone in each of the cat's front legs.

Jeana Roth cares for Clark, a cat that was shot by police who thought he was rabid, at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook on Wednesday. Pellets from a 16-gauge shotgun shattered one bone in each of the cat's front legs. The cat was a longtime stray in Gorham, where a resident, Deb Webb, fed him regularly over the years.

Deb Webb holds part of the shotgun shell she found in her front yard, where Clark the cat was shot by police. The cat was a longtime stray in Gorham, where Webb fed him regularly over the years.

An X-ray of Clark the cat, shown at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook on Wednesday, shows the shattered bones in his front legs. Pellets from a 16-gauge shotgun used by a law enforcement officer, who thought the animal was rabid, shattered one bone in each of the cat's front legs.