Have you heard about Rocky the bobcat? A scandal in NJ is developing as Rocky the bobcat is being held at the Popcorn Zoo in New Jersey until blood tests determine whether Rocky is a pure-bred bobcat or a hybrid.
Rocky has lived with his owner, Ginny Fine, since he was five months old and has bonded with the owner’s house cat, LC. The bobcat is also declawed. Somehow Rocky escaped from the house on March 25 and the owner had been looking for him frantically. When the owner finally found him (by luring him out of the woods using LC’s meow), she called the local police to let them know that Rocky was safe at home again.
The police then came to the house and confiscated Rocky because Fine violated a previous police order stating that Rocky would not get loose. Apparently, this is not the first time Rocky has escaped. He had escaped back in September 2013 and returned in October – which is the reason why Fine was under a police order in the first place.
The judge, Damian Murray, indicated that Fine can have her cat back if the blood tests prove it is a hybrid. If it is a purebred, then she must obtain a permit to own it. Fine has not be allowed to see Rocky since he was taken away from her.
What do you think? Should Fine get her 38-pound cat back? I personally think that this poor cat is a victim of both his owner and the legal system. He’s never been a wild cat, having lived with Fine and her house cat for years. I worry that Rocky will not fare well without his claws. I certainly hope that someone is looking out for the well-being of the cat.