Cats can be VERY tough! Scary charge for the camera man- had a lot of faith in the shooters, I must say.

I shot a rather large feral Tom kitty through both shoulders with a .45 cal. round ball - at a range of about 15 yards, impact velocity 1,900fps. I reloaded then walked up to it and it raised it's head - hissed and spat at me.

A deer would have been stone dead by the time I approached it

That 45RB through both shoulders would be equivalent to shooting a lion with about a 64 pound(er) cannon ball through both shoulders at point blank range. My kitty cat was immobilized, but still alive and quite pissed.

The lioness was shot through and through - blood appeared behind her shoulder left side, and out through the other shoulder/leg right side - not pinky frothy, might even have been heart blood.

Cats can be VERY tough.