Dallas police seek bat-wielding cat thief

DALLAS, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Police in Dallas said they were searching for a man who allegedly took a cat from an animal shelter while threatening workers with a baseball bat.

Dallas Animal Shelter manager Kent Robertson said a man came to the shelter in early October and identified one of the cats as his missing feline, The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

Robertson said the man became angry when told he would have to pay a $132 fee before he could take the gray and blue cat home and left without his pet.

The manager said the man returned at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, located his cat, then retrieved an animal carrier and a baseball bat from his 1986 brown Ford F-150 truck. Robertson said the man took the cat and swung the baseball bat at shelter employees to keep them out of arm's reach.

Police said they were searching for a suspect using the name the man used to sign in to the shelter's guest book. They said the man could face aggravated robbery charges and two counts of aggravated assault.