In Paterson, New Jersey, on Thursday morning, the folks of Mill Street saw a surprising creature walking the block—a very large cat that nobody was able to identify.
“One person said it was a tiger,” an animal control officer said to The Record. “And a few said it was a bobcat.”
Regardless, the cat was much larger than any stray cat one might normally expected to be seen on the streets of Paterson.
Animal control needed to tranquilize the cat, which was “out of control,” they told The Record, in order to nab it. The cat was then sent to Wildlife Freedom, in Wanaque, New Jersey, where it’s currently being held until the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife can arrange for different housing. The cat, according to the owner of Wildlife Freedom, is an F1 Savannah Cat, which is a type of mixed breed that has a serval cat as a father.
These cats are oftentimes bought as pets—for a price, which can go up to $30,000. Supposedly they’re much more interactive than regular old disdainful house cats. Presumably, the cat has an owner who hasn’t come forward yet. However, a local CBS station may have tracked him down:
One man claimed to know the cat’s owner and said the cat escaped.
“He left the window open and went back in. Everybody know him, it’s always on the window. Real nice cat,” he stated.
However, when the station tried to reach the alleged owner, he hung up on the reporter. The state’s committed to caring for the cat until its true owner is found, the Associated Press reported.
