Feral Cat Enters Glen Burnie Elementary School, Forces Early Closure

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (WJZ) — An Anne Arundel County school is shut down because of a feral cat on the loose.

Tracey Leong explains what happened.

The feral cat has still not been caught. It's unclear why the animal chose Richard Henry Lee Elementary School in Glen Burnie to get lost in.

"It's sort of bizarre that such a small animal caused such a big inconvenience. But that's the way it is," said Bob Mosier, Anne Arundel County school spokesperson.

Mosier says the call came in around 7:30 a.m. A teacher reported the animal was hiding out in a classroom. When the feline dodged being caught, a precautionary decision was made to close the school.

"Received a phone call this morning and also a text message on my phone just letting me know, notifying me that school would be released early because there was what was believed to be a feral cat in the school building," said parent Daisha Gorham.

It wasn't what parents or students were expecting--school was over before it even started.

"Everybody is getting off the bus and there is so much mayhem around. Everybody's walking around the school," student Brian Collins said.

To keep the students safe, they were moved to the school yard, where they waited for their bus or guardian to come and pick them up.

Animal Control assisted, setting up six traps and 14 motion alarms to zero in on the feline.

But not all the kids were excited to start the holiday weekend early.

"I wanted to stay in school," said Dezreona Gorham, student.

There is a possibility the cat may have escaped when the doors were opened. If it is caught, it will be turned over to Animal Control, where they will evaluate the animal.

It's estimated there are around 185,000 stray or feral cats living on the streets of Baltimore.

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