Olympic cat catcher seeks final stray

LONDON, April 18 (UPI) -- A London cat-catcher charged with clearing strays out of the area slated to become the 2012 Olympic Park says only one elusive feline remains in the area.

Celia Hammond, who has caught 186 cats during her tenure as a feline-trapping specialist at the future home of the Olympics, said she only has a few days left before she has to give up her search for the only remaining stray and he may not allow himself to be caught, The Times of London reported Friday.

Hammond said that despite her well-funded operation and network of informants, Blackjack the cat has always remained one step ahead of her.

"I have never known a cat cover such a huge area," she said. "We would get a phone call saying, 'Blackjack was here' but when we arrived he would be gone."

Hammond said her organization, the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, has found new homes for three quarters of the 186 cats; some in loving homes, and other, wilder cats at farmyards and stables.

"Everyone says I should just leave it," Hammond said of her search for Blackjack. "But of all the cats I have saved, the one I remember is the one I can't catch.

"If only I could convey to him that I'm trying to help him," she said.