LITTLETON, Colo. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) apprehended a longtime trespasser at the Kohl's off South Kipling Parkway.
A ringtail cat had made its way inside the Lakewood store and spent the last three weeks in the shoe department eating ceiling tiles and shoe boxes, according to JCSO.
The sheriff's office set out cat traps to capture the ringtail without success, JCSO said. The animal would sneak in and out of the cat traps and get the food without tripping the mechanism, JCSO said.
In a Facebook post on Monday, JCSO said the nocturnal animal had been safely captured and relocated to the nearby woods.
Ringtail cats are not actually cats, but are related to raccoons.
Ringtail cats are native to Colorado but remain a rare sight, JCSO said. Settlers used the ringtail as the "miner cat" to keep rats out of their cabins.
JCSO encourages anyone lucky enough to see a ringtail while out and about to keep their distance. The animal can act aggressively if confronted, JCSO said.
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