Cat trapped in Shopko garden center... bobcat, that is!

What was first reported to be a 'large' feral cat in a Shopko garden center ended up being a wild Montana bobcat instead!  Nobody's quite sure why the wayward bobcat made its way to the store Wednesday afternoon.  Maybe he smelled somebody's lunch.  Mike Maynard, an animal control officer with the city of Helena (Montana), said he was called to the store at about noon to collect the cat. But when he realized it was a wild bobcat, and not some regular stray, he called in game wardens as backup.

Dave Loewen and his partner hopped the store’s fence to gain access to the animal, which was not near any shoppers and really didn't want to be there anymore. The capture took less than five minutes, he said.  “We scooped him up (with a net), put him in the truck and took him out to the regulating reservoir off of York Road,” Loewen said. “He should be just fine out there.”  Loewen said it’s not the first time a bobcat has been seen in town, but it was the only time he has captured one within the city limits.  “He just got out of his element and didn’t know what to do next,” he said.