A Hicksville widow is heartbroken after her cat was fatally shot.

According to the SPCA, the cat named Stella, was shot between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4 in the vicinity of Sutherland Road and Westmoreland Road.

The cat was found clinging to life in front of her owner's house on Sunday and later died of her wounds.

"She was devoted - she didn't deserve this," Margaret Oliva says.

Olivia says 12-year-old Stella was her best friend because she helped her grieve the loss of her husband eight years ago.

"After my husband passed away, she was my sanity, you know, and to have her taken away like this," Oliva says. "If she was sick, but to take her like this, no, I can't accept that."

Oliva says she let Stella out last Thursday after dinner for her daily outing, but the cat didn't return that evening.

Her family searched all weekend but couldn't find her until her Ring doorbell captured one of Stella's whimpering cries for help on Sunday.

Oliva found Stella lying down beneath a bush in front of her house.

"I didn't know if she was dead or alive," Oliva says. "She gave a little meow like she know it was me."

Oliva rushed Stella to Veterinary Referral and Emergency Care Center of Westbury where a veterinarian told her the cat had been shot in the lung and one of her legs.

Stella died at the hospital Sunday evening.

The Nassau SPCA says Stella was probably shot in the neighborhood and somehow made her way back home.

"It's animal cruelty at its best - somebody took the time to hunt down this cat and shoot it, so this can be felony charges if this person is found," says Matt Roper, of the Nassau SPCA.

A necropsy is being performed on Stella to determine the type of weapon that was used to kill her.

The Nassau SPCA is offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Stella.

Anyone with information is asked to call 516-THE-SPCA.