(WWJ) A foursome of African cats, lately living in Oakland County, will be moved to a new home, after two got loose this week.
The owner of the felines has agreed to relocate the animals, which resemble a cougar or lynx, after they escaped from her Royal Oak property at least three times, according to authorities.
The Royal Oak Police Department said the owner — who keeps the animals in elaborate enclosures outside her home — was issued five violations after the latest escape set off a search on Wednesday.
At around 6:30 a.m., officers had responded to the home where it was reported that several of these felines — which resemble a cougar or bobcat — had gotten loose.
Two of the animals were found in the unsecured enclosure, police said, and a second was recovered quickly with its owner's help
The fourth, named Bam Bam, was located on Atladena Avenue Wednesday night, trapped and moved back home with the help of the pet resue group "South Lyon Murphy."
Heather Ineich with the group has posted several videos to social media in which she gets up close and personal, interacting with the animals which she calls "just tiny kitties," and "nice guys."
Ineich insists that the caracals are not dangerous, calling the pubic out on what she said is unfounded "hysteria" over the incident.
Related
"I just wanted everybody to see that these cats are absolutely amazing. They are nonconfrontational; they are not aggressive," she said. "They're not going to come charging you down the road and eat your kids or your small animals. That's absolutely ludicrous, and those of you who keep saying it, just stop."
Regardless, police said that due to the owner's “inability to keep the animals contained on her property,” the Royal Oak PD encouraged her to relocate them to a more suitable environment.
The woman agreed and has contracted a transportation company to have the cats moved on Monday.
Police did not say where they are going.
According to the International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC), the Caracal, sometimes called called a "desert lynx," is a wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan and India. On average, an adult will stand up to 20 inches tall that at the shoulder and weigh up to 42 lbs. The cats can leap higher than 12 feet, which is helpful as the carnivores prey on birds, rodents and other small mammals.
This particular species does not fall under the exotic cat classification, according to the DNR, and is unregulated in Michigan.
Related
![Massive prehistoric alligator fish caught in Kansas [PHOTOS]](https://radioimg.audacy.com/aiu-media/GettyImages487556198-2471ff04-7c2d-4ab1-87d0-43102f644391.jpg?crop=16:9)