Custody battle brewing over ‘Zombie Cat’

Sherry Silk, the executive director of the Tampa Humane Society has said “we are prepared to fight to keep the cat.” The cat is Bart aka Zombie Cat. The cat that came back from the dead. You may remember he was presumed dead by his owner, Hutson, after being hit by a car. Hutson asked a neighbour to bury his cat and he did. Bart eventually clawed his way out of his grave and turned up in a very bad way. Hutson took him to the Tampa Humane Society for treatment. They won’t hand him back. Hutson has not handed over ownership. There is a potential dispute over ownership brewing.

The reason why the Humane Society won’t release Bart back to his owner is because they are not completely sure he was hit by a car despite genuinely agreeing that Bart’s injuries are consistent with a car accident. Court documents have come to light which tell us that Hutson was arrested in 1998 and charged with animal cruelty. The charges were eventually thrown out but it has created doubts about the veracity of Hutson’s story.

This may be unfair but I suppose the Humane Society have to play safe in the interests of Bart’s welfare especially as he is a vulnerable cat with his injuries including the loss of his left eye and broken jaw. However, when Bart was found he was a decent weight. He was also friendly. Both indicate being treated correctly.

Vets believe that Bart was buried for quite a while. He turned up about five days after being buried alive. Can we presume he was buried for five days? Probably. The indicators are that he was actually buried because he was covered in dirt and maggots in his wounds. Anyway the neighbour who buried him can give evidence on this and perhaps shed some light on the matter generally.

The whole thing is a bit distressing. It is strange and sad that there is a custody battle going on. I wonder if there is another reason for not releasing him. I don’t want to sound too cynical (which I have become over the years) but Bart is now a genuine cat celebrity and cat celebrities are good for their owner in very many ways.

Source (thanks): WFMZ.com