Woman Faces Fines In Caracal Cat Incident

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CHICAGO (AP) - Bloomington, Illinois officials say the owner of an exotic cat that escaped and scratched two people before being killed by police is facing a fine.

City attorney Jeff Jurgens said Tuesday the owner of the caracal cat is facing a $1,000 fine for not registering her animal and a $100 fine for permitting the cat to run at large.

Police spokesman John Fermon says after attacking a 32-year-old woman and her daughter Sunday, the cat also tried to attack a medium-sized dog.

Fermon says the cat was shot to death after it was observed acting erratically and approached police and a group of bystanders.

A caracal cleans her paw while resting at the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005, in Tallahassee, Fla. The caracal and her mate are featured guests at the museum's animal habitat, on loan from the Carnivore Preservation Trust in Pittsboro, N.C. The cats are native to Israel, Africa, and other regions of the mid-east. AP Photo/Phil Coale)

The caracal is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India.

Bloomington doesn't have an ordinance specifically concerning exotic animals, but officials say there are registration requirements for both dogs and cats.

Bloomington