An Indiana woman said a cat she found outside her door earned the nickname "Toughy" by surviving an arrow wound in freezing temperatures.

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Buckett Pendley of Crown Point said she found the cat screaming outside her door Thursday with an arrow piercing its shoulder and front paw, The (Munster) Times reported Friday.

Pendley said her husband cut the shaft of the arrow and they called neighbor Jeff Jamrosz, who rushed the approximately 2-year-old cat to the St. John Animal Clinic, where his wife, Melissa Buggie, works as a veterinarian.

Buggie said she performed 3 hours of surgery to remove the arrow and set the broken bones in the cat's leg. Jamrosz, who works as an assistant at the clinic, said the feline awoke from sedation Thursday and is expected to recover.

Pendley said the clinic agreed to absorb the costs of the cat's care. She said she gave the cat the nickname "Toughy" for surviving the ordeal.

Pendley said she and her husband have been unable to locate the cat's owners.