When you're shopping for deodorant, the last thing you expect to see cruising the aisles is a bobcat. That was the case for some shoppers at a store in Kentucky on Wednesday.
Workers at a Dollar General in the small town of Martin discovered the wild feline hanging out in the deodorant aisle. In addition to violating the company's no-animals-allowed policy, the mask-less bobcat wasn't following the store's coronavirus prevention guidelines either. So of course, the cat had to get the boot.
Employees at the store contacted the Martin Police Department to come remove the animal from the building, and with the help of a few deputies and Kentucky State Troopers, the bobcat was safely captured and released back into the wild. Luckily no employees, customers or officers were injured in the process.
Newsweek has reached out to Dollar General for comment.
Floyd County Sheriff's Department shared the news of the truly wild night at Dollar General on the agency's Facebook page on Wednesday, along with photos of one particularly upset kitty.
"This little fellow was captured tonight inside a store after store employees called and reported it being inside. Deputies along with troopers and Martin Police were able to safely capture this bobcat and remove him from the store. He was released without injury," the statement read.
This little fellow was captured tonight inside a store after store employees called and reported it being inside. ...
Posted by Floyd County Sheriff's Department, Prestonsburg KY on Wednesday, October 14, 2020
The viral post gained hundreds of comments from locals, including a number of people who felt suggested that something must of been wrong with the cat for it to have even entered the store in the first place. Some commenters noted the bobcat's mangled hind leg and claimed that officers should have taken the bobcat to a veterinarian instead of releasing it back into the wild.
"This wildcat needs medical attention! There's a reason he put himself in a situation where he is vulnerable," one person commented.
Another wrote: "The poor thing should've seen a vet. Something is definitely wrong with their back leg and they didn't put themselves in a vulnerable situation for no reason. They likely won't survive in the wild like that. Not to mention that's clearly too young to be away from their mother."
Although bobcats sightings were once a rarity in Kentucky, they have become increasingly common all across the state since the 1970s, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources.
Bobcats are just one of the many wild animals that roam the state, and apparently the Dollar General's wildcat is just the latest to make an appearance in a public place. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, a bear ran through a restaurant window in May.
Customers at the Dairy Hut restaurant in Cumberland were flabbergasted when a bear suddenly crashed through a window, ran across the dining room and back out the restaurant through a glass door—causing about $1,000 worth of damage—one evening in the spring. Restaurant owner Rosanne Ross told the Leader that the bear was likely rummaging through trash and was startled by a passing truck when it ripped through the restaurant.
