'Catcoon' rescued after living in Kohl's store, eating shoe boxes for weeks
GOLDEN, Colo. - A ringtail cat that was living in a Kohl's shoe department for three weeks has finally been captured.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office posted video of the animal finally being taken into custody and jokingly dubbed it a "catcoon" due to its resemblance to a cat and a raccoon. The little guy had reportedly been living inside the Kohl's department store on S. Kipling Parkway in Littleton, Colorado for three weeks.
"He was hiding out in the shoe department and eating ceiling tiles and shoe boxes," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. "He would sneak in and out of our cat traps and get the food without tripping the mechanism. Clever little guy!"
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In the video, the ringtail cat makes a barking noise at the deputy – which is reportedly the sound the animal makes when they are frightened or agitated. The sheriff's office released the animal back into the wild.
While ringtail cats are native to Colorado, experts say they are a rare sight to see. The mammals are not cats, but are related to raccoons and are nocturnal.
The sheriff's office said if you see one out and about, don't be fooled by their cute and fuzzy faces: they are still wild and can act aggressively, so keep your distance.