Authorities located a 38-pound pet bobcat Wednesday, a day after the feline escaped from his Jersey Shore home for at least the third time this year.
Officials learned the bobcat, named Rocky, escaped from the Stafford Township home of his owner, Ginny Fine, around 9 a.m. Tuesday -- a little more than a month after a state judge told Fine the feline would be removed from her home permanently if he got out again.
Nearly 24 hours later, Stafford Township Police said they found Rocky in a humane trap that had set out for him. Officials transported the bobcat to Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township -- the same place where he was taken after escaping from his owner's home in July. police said.
Fine was issued another summons over the escape. She is due in court Dec. 5 for the latest charge.
Tuesday's incident comes months after the partially-declawed feline's last escape.
A judge warned the pet owner she might lose custody of the cat because he had run away multiple times from his outdoor enclosure in the woman's yard.
A judge ordered Rocky to undergo DNA testing to determine if he was a full-blooded bobcat, which are illegal to have as pets in the Garden State. Fine said he is a hybrid. The test came back inconclusive.
