LITTLE ROCK — Some residents in Little Rock's Capitol View-Stifft Station neighborhood say a cat napper is on the prowl near their homes.
Antonio Solares said he witnessed an unidentified man stuffing a neighborhood feline into a small cooler Thursday morning near Solares' backyard on Second Street between Dennison and Rice Streets.
Two of Solares cats were already missing and he said he knows of two other nearby residents whose pets also disappeared. He fears it's the work of the same person.
"It's horrifying," Solares said Friday. "It seems like it's happening very often now."
In the Thursday incident, Solares gave chase, struggled with the man and ultimately got the cooler with the trapped cat inside. Its head had been wrapped tightly in a plastic bag, Solares said, but it was still alive.
The man told Solares the cat had bitten his daughter and he was going to "put it down," but he ran away and later fought when Solares threatened to call police.
Authorities responded, but the man was already gone. No arrests have been made. Solares described him as a light-skinned black man who is skinny, in his 20s and about 5-foot-10.
Debbie Carter said Linny, her 9-month-old grey-black tabby adopted from the Humane Society of Pulaski County, disappeared about a week ago from her home in the 200 block of Thayer Street. As she posted more than 100 fliers in the area, Carter met with several people nearby whose cats were also missing, she said.
The number surprised her and suggested something was amiss, Carter said.
"I'm hoping that this sweet little cat got picked up by someone else and has a wondeful home," she said. " But I'm worried."
J.S. "Zoe" Cochran, who also lives in the 200 block of Thayer Street, said there was a recent report to police and the neighborhood association about a cat that went missing from a home on Palm Street. Its owner spotted a teenager with a cooler feeding the cat shortly before it disappeared.
The Humane Society of Pulaski County posted a warning about the incidents on its Facebook page and the Feline Rescue and Rehome has also been relaying information about them.
Cochran said the missing cats are likely the work of people who fight dogs and use the animals as bait. But it could also be the work of a psychopath who poses a danger to more than just pets, she said.
"Guys do violent things to animals," Cochran said. "Next they're going to work up to children and people. We're very concerned."