Wildcat attacks Buick

The Indianapolis Star ^ | 05/08/2003 | Paul Bird

[oldoverholt]

shelby county Ferocious wildcat chews up Buick

By Paul Bird paul.bird@indystar.com May 8, 2003

Fairland -- A wildcat bit and flattened the tires of a Fairland woman's car, clawed electrical wiring and chewed away part of a bumper.

"It is unbelievable how much damaged there was," Edra Ragland said of her Buick. "One estimate is $1,700, but it could be more when it is all done."

It was shock and awe about noon Tuesday when the 72-year-old Ragland discovered something had attacked her car. She called the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, and Deputy Travis Maloney responded.

Bite and claw marks were found all over the car, along with pawprints. Blood also was found on the front of the car.

"It had some strong bottom teeth," Maloney said of the creature that attacked the car. "You could see where he hooked his top teeth into the top tread of the tire and sank his bottom teeth into the sidewall, flattening the tire."

The cat also punctured the other front tire and clamped down around the fender above the tire, Maloney said.

Teeth marks were found where a chunk of the front bumper was taken.

"He also bent the windshield wipers in half," Maloney said.

Officer Jerry Jackson of the Department of Natural Resources inspected the car and agreed the animal prints on the car belonged to a cat.

Ragland's domestic cat was mauled and killed two days earlier, leaving a litter of kittens.

"What we think is the big cat was roaming around. Maybe he heard the kittens or something and may have chased some other animal that ran under the car and climbed onto the engine block," Maloney said.

"It was definitely trying to get under the hood."

Large cats have not traveled Indiana since about 1900 and are not indigenous to the state.

The last known large cat sighting in the Indianapolis area was near New Whiteland in June 1996. Several witnesses and a police officer saw the animal and estimated its weight at 100 pounds.

New Whiteland Police Chief Bill Withers theorized that someone kept the big cat as a pet, and that it was turned loose, or escaped. Jackson was astounded by the attack on Ragland's car.

"I've never seen anything like this in 20 years," Jackson said.

[Hegemony Cricket]

At least that darned cat's got good taste in cars (but ya' gotta wonder how good they taste). :-)

[John Beresford Tipton]

The wildcat was only trying to mate.

[Mr. Lucky]

Yet another reason ya gotta just love Indiana.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"ya' gotta wonder how good they taste"

Rapture by Blondie

"And then you're in the man from Mars.
You go out at night eating cars.
You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too.
Mercurys and Subaru.
And you don't stop.
You keep on eating cars.
Then when there's no more cars you go out at night
And eat up bars where the people meet."

[Revelation 911]

At least that darned cat's got good taste in cars

hey - its not your fathers oldsmobile

[Puppage]

[Nachoman]

I'm glad I didn't have to make that call to the insurance adjuster.

[TexanToTheCore]

There is something else going on here and it has nothing to with a wildcat.

[gcruse]

I never liked Buicks, either.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Cats are evil. I always knew it.

[Consort]

A couple of months ago, a squirrel climbed into the engine compartment of my Buick Regal and ate part of the hood insulation.