Man wields baseball bat to get cat

[Anikaca77]

DALLAS — Police are looking for a man who took his gray and blue short-haired cat from the Dallas Animal Shelter while fending off employees with a baseball bat, authorities said.

Kent Robertson, the shelter's manager, said the man came to the shelter in early October and found his cat among the other animals. The cat had been brought to the shelter by someone who thought it was a stray.

After employees told him he had to pay a $132 fee to take his cat, the unidentified man became upset.

The man returned Monday morning, signed into the guest book and took matters into his own hands. He loaded his cat into a carrier, without paying the fee, and threatened staff with the baseball bat, according to police.

He left in his 1986 brown Ford F-150, nearly running over two shelter employees, said Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse, a Dallas police spokesman. No one was struck or injured.

"I haven't ever experienced this before," Robertson said in a story for Tuesday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News. "Usually, people thank us for rescuing their animals. This was pretty extreme."

Cpl. Janse said police are searching for the man based on the name he used in the guest book, which Cpl. Janse declined to reveal. The man could be charged with aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated assault.

[Cataholic]

Perhaps the shelter could consider the time, energy, expense of "catching" this man and choose another course?

[lvpets2002]

Yes I am an 1 1/2 hour from Dallas.. It was all over the News this morning.. You think the Shelter could have worked with this man for his animal to have been returned.. Now there is always three sides to every story == Mine, Yours & Theirs..

[catmandu]

I DONT KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO IF THAT HAPPENED TO A FOUND CAT , IF I DIDNT HAVE THE MONEY, I WOULD BE CIVILIZED AND WORK SOMETHING OUT.
IF THEY FIND THIS HOT HEADED MAN , THE FINES AN POSSIBLE JIAL TIME WILL COME TO A LOT MORE THAN 132 DOLLARS.
SOME PEOPLE ACT BEFORE THEY THINK.
HE MUST LOVE HIS FUR PAL A LOT

[Catlady711]

All I can think of is at least the guy WANTED his cat back, unlike so many people who just dump their cats off in the country or don't care where they wander to. Ok so a baseball bat was a bit extreme though.

[LionHart]

All I can think of is at least the guy WANTED his cat back, unlike so many people who just dump their cats off in the country or don't care where they wander to. Ok so a baseball bat was a bit extreme though.

Yeah kinda what I thought. And no one was hurt. But yeah a baseball bat is a bit much.

[catmandu]

BUT THIS IS SUPPOSEDLY A CIVILIZED COUNTRY, WE DONT DO THINGS BY FORCE HERE AND ALMOST RUN PEOPLE OVER.
WHAT IF HE HAD HIT ONE OF THESE EMPLOYEES?
YOU CANT DO STUPID THINGS LIKE THIS AND GET AWAY WITH THEM, HE SHOULD HAVE SAT WITH THESE PEOPLE AND MADE A DEAL.
NOT USED SOME RECKLESS TATICS, HES LUCKY NOONE WAS HURT

[nancys]

I think I agree most with LionHeart below. At least it sounds like he loved the cat so maybe takes good care of it. But a baseball bat...?

[CouturePup]

I live in Dallas and watched an interview between him and a news reporter. Just going from that, this man has other issues going on. One being- he obtained this cat (then a kitten) one day before he was diagnosed with cancer, he is now in stage four. I feel sorry for him.

[CouturePup]

Here, this link has more details and includes the interview.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dw...1c849956c.html

And then, an update:

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dw...1d021a7e1.html

[DJFyrewolf36]

I don't condone violence but I also don't think the shelter was right if they in fact did not call the guy and let him know his cat was there if he did have tags on. I also think $130 is quite a hefty fine for a lost kitty, especially if it was turned in by a neighbor as opposed to the neighbor just giving the poor guy a call. I wonder why the neighbor didn't just call the number on the tag? I know how difficult catching an escaped cat can be. The poor guy has cancer and probibly isn't exactly in the shape to go running around after a scared kitty outside. Im healthy and I remember hours long chases with Spook taking a LOT out of me lol. Sometimes there is no catching a cat! I would be so happy at the shelter keeping my kitty safe but I would be at having to pay so much. The shelter in Carson only charges $30 for a first offense on cats AND dogs. Not a big fine but enough of a reminder to fix the issue. Has anyone heard anything regarding the cat being a cronic escape artist? I might see a large fine if the cat had been caught several times before.

[Medusa]

Even before I read the update, I just knew there had to be more to this story. Not that I condone violence but I figured that the man probably was distraught, broke and desperate. I'm glad that he got his little buddy back. As we all know, there are so many people out there who simply do not care about a missing cat.

[CultureJunky]

I feel sorry for all sides really, it's a sad situation.

[Pinot's Mom]

Don't prosecute the guy - he's got enough problems
Let him live in peace with his kitty. The bat was extreme, but, as it's been said before, there is more here - like why the neighbor, who KNEW whose cat it was - took it to the shelter in the first place.
He obviously cares for the kitty - leave it be.