Royal Oak police seize wandering 50-pound African cats and ship them to sanctuary, chief says

Detroit Free Press

Elaine Westfall of Royal Oak said in October that she was relieved that her African caracal cats Pebbles and BamBam had been captured and returned to her home. On Tuesday, police seized her four big cats and said they were headed to an animal sanctuary. Photo from Oct. 14, 2021 shows Westfall with her cat named Wasabi.

If the cats get out once, shame on them.

But if they get out again and again, according to authorities, shame on the owner — especially if the wayward felines happen to be oversize African caracals. They tend to weigh about 50 pounds, hiss instead of meow, and when loose provoke fearful calls to Royal Oak police.

After an escape in October, one cat was seen prowling around an elementary school near 13 Mile and Rochester Road.

Royal Oak police issued several warnings this year to owner Elaine Westfall, but after they caught another of the cats on the lam Monday night, animal control officers decided Tuesday to remove the four big cats from Westfall's home in the 700 block of East LaSalle Avenue, said Interim Chief Mike Moore in a news release.

Westfall agreed to surrender her pets to an animal sanctuary out of state, and she was issued a citation for violating a city ordinance against the keeping of non-domestic animals — a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in jail, Moore said in the release.

According to previous reports, she had been issued at least five violations in the past for failing to keep her cats from running wild. After an escape in October, an animal welfare advocate told the Free Press that people who'd complained about seeing cats running loose were overreacting. But that justification wasn't persuasive this week, with Royal Oak's interim chief pointing out the numerous previous complaints his department had fielded.

Westfall could not be reached Wednesday.

Photo shows three African Caracal cats, in mid-October, inside their enclosure at a Royal Oak home. The cats' average weight is 50 pounds. When two escaped in October, police warned residents not to approach them but instead to call 911.

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The Royal Oak officers who took possession of the cats on Monday were assisted by animal control officers from Berkley, Livonia and Redford.

“I would like to thank our animal control partners ... for their assistance and teamwork,” Moore said in the release.

Caracals are characterized by a short face with two black stripes extending from the forehead to the nose, white patches around the eyes and mouth, and tufted ears. Their fur is reddish tan or sandy brown. In the wild, they are predators that feed on small mammals and birds.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, caracals do not fall under the classification of exotic cats and so they are not regulated by state law. But county and city ordinances in Michigan allow most police departments to issue citations for pets that become public nuisances when owners fail to keep them on private property, according to online sources.

Contact: blaitner@freepress.com