New Jersey

Rocky the Bobcat's Owner Gets One Last Chance

Following a series of escapes, Rocky, a pet bobcat from the Jersey Shore, is being returned to his owner one last time.

But a New Jersey judge says this is the woman's last chance to keep the animal under lock-and-key.

Ginny Fine returned to Ocean County Court on Friday as she fought to get the 38-pound feline back from authorities.

Rocky was taken to the Popcorn Park Zoo in July after he escaped from his owner's Stafford Township, N.J. home the month before. Fine was warned she might lose custody of the cat because he had run away at least three times from his outdoor enclosure, in the woman's yard.

In one escape, the partially-declawed feline was missing for several days leaving neighbors concerned.

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, however, came back inconclusive.

In Friday's proceedings, Fine was ordered to pay $250 to the state and boarding fees to the zoo and given back custody of Rocky, according to Stafford Township Police.

The judge warned Fine that this would be her last chance, officials said. Should he escape again, Fine will forfeit her rights to the cat.

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