DETROIT – Residents on the city's northeast side had seen what appeared to be an exotic cat, some said perhaps as tall as 4 feet, roaming the streets.
The same large cat was allegedly shot and killed.
Neighbors told Local 4 the cat was roaming the streets near Alcoy Street and Bringard Drive on Detroit's east side for about a month.
Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek from Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue says the images look like an exotic breed of cat known as a Savannah.
She was out searching for the cat Saturday and setting traps in the area. Bruzek says she talked to many neighbors and located the cat's owner.
Despite her efforts to rescue it, the body of the exotic cat was found in a trash can in the neighborhood Monday.
Neighbors previously said it wasn't your average house cat.
"This is like an African cat. This cat ain't from here. The stripes. It's just different," said one resident.
"What I think is that someone took this breed of cat on and then probably dumped it here," she said. "They're the wildest version of a domestic cat but they are not wild animals, they have been domesticated."
Neighbors say they've called Animal Control and the Humane Society to report the cat prior to its death, but say nothing was done.
"I don't think they need to be shooting them or hurting them," Bruzek previously said.
The rescuer devoted much time to finding the cat after hearing the story on Local 4. She says one of her traps was stolen in the process.
"I'm just glad I found him and he can be at peace now," Bruzek said.