Vet posts image of her holding up corpse of pet cat on Facebook: 'My first bow kill...lol'

A vet has been fired from her clinic after posting a disturbing image to Facebook of her holding up a cat she claimed to have killed with an arrow, while grinning widely.

Kristen Lindsey, 31, who lives in Brenham, Texas, reportedly shot the animal with a bow in her backyard, believing it to be feral.

However, a local rescue centre say that they believe the cat, called Tiger, was domesticated, and had been missing for around two weeks.

Beneath the original image, which has since been removed, Lindsey wrote: "My first bow kill… lol. The only good feral bobcat is one with an arrow through it’s head. Vet of the year award… gladly accepted."

In another comment, presumably before she was informed that she had been fired, she wrote: "And no I did not lose my job. Psshh. Like someone would get rid of me. I’m awesome."

Lindsey lost her job at the Washington Animal Clinic after the image began circling online and staff have apparently begun to distance the ex-employee.

The clinic released a statement on its Facebook page on Friday saying: "We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct.

"We have parted ways with Ms Lindsey. We do not allow such conduct and we condemn it in the strongest possible manner," the clinic said in the statement.

"Please know that when informed of this we responded swiftly and appropriately and please do not impute this awful conduct to the Washington Animal Clinic or any of its personnel."

Local prosecutors are currently looking into whether they should press charges.

A group on Facebook named "Police In Texas Prosecute Karen Lindsey For Animal Cruelty" has already gained almost 2,000 likes.

A video of the six-year-old cat that Lindsey is believed to have killed riding on top of a tractor with its owners has appeared online.

In the video, posted by Amy Hemsell, Tiger is described as loving going for rides on the tractor and as "watching out for" his owner.

The Texas Veterinary Medical Association also heavily criticised Lindsey’s actions.

In a statement, it said: "We are saddened and disturbed by the unfortunate actions of this individual, and we remind Texas residents that this conduct is not reflective of the veterinary profession or of the veterinarians who strive to embody the words of the veterinarian’s oath every day.

"Upon learning of the troubling misconduct, the Brenham clinic where the veterinarian was practicing immediately condemned her actions and terminated her employment."

Cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanour under penal code 42.092: "A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or causes serious bodily harm to an animal."