NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A Newport News couple is grieving the loss of their beloved cat. Their pet died after being struck by a bullet while inside their apartment.

Police tell 10 On Your Side the bullet came through the ceiling while a party was going on at an apartment complex off Nelson Drive.

Pictures are what Bianka and Timothy Masters are holding onto now that their 11-month-old cat, Bowie, is no longer with them.

“It’s just hard. It’s very hard,” Bianka said.

The couple came home Sunday afternoon from a quick trip out of town. They never expected what they found on the other side of their door — a bullet hole through their ceiling.

“I turned the light on and there was just blood everywhere. The counters were covered, the floor was covered, the wall,” Bianka said.

The bullet struck Bowie and went through the carpet. Timothy found the cat curled up in his litter box, bleeding and clinging to life.

They called 911 and rushed to the vet.

“The bullet went through his lungs and out the front of his stomach,” Bianka said. “That’s his favorite spot to lay so I know he was laying there waiting for us to get home.”

Bowie made it out of surgery, but the stress from his injuries was too much and the couple made the tough decision to put him down.

“He was here by himself bleeding out for 11 hours straight,” Timothy said. “That’s like what really upsets me because he was suffering all that time and we could’ve been here.”

Newport News say a guest at a party in the unit upstairs discharged a weapon into the floor. It’s not clear if it was intentional or an accident.

Police arrested and charged 25-year-old Aren Floryanzia with damage to property and a weapons offense.

“It’s great to have justice that he is caught now but it’s not going to bring him back and that’s what we want the most,” Bianka said.

The couple is hoping this will serve as a reminder to others to be more careful when carrying a weapon.

“There’s other people, there’s families, there’s babies, there’s kids, there’s pets,” Bianka said. “Guns are — they’re not toys.”

The couple is still facing a $4,000 vet bill for the surgery.

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