Another feline baseball fan made MLB news last night with a fifth inning appearance at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, delaying the game by several minutes.

Reports differed as to how the brown tabby got down to the field, but he attracted the attention of the crowd and players when he appeared in front of the visitor’s dugout.

“It jumped from the stands into our bullpen,” said Mariners’ reliever Shawn Kelley said. “We thought it was going to attack [pitching coach] John [Wetteland] so we had to divert it away from him. It scaled an eight-foot wall, it really did. We were just concerned with saving John. We thought he was in trouble. He was cornered.”

The frightened feline danced around the diamond, heading for home before bolting into right field foul territory. He was ultimately ushered into the Royals bullpen. From there, he exited the stadium. [see video]

Cats are probably the biggest baseball fans of anyone in the animal kingdom. In addition to hard-core Yankees fans Jeter Harris and Gordy Lamstein (right), who cheer on their men in blue from the comfort of their home Barcoloungers, numerous cats have been observed attending major league baseball games.

[LINK: mlb.com]

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Well, we all know that there is a legion of cats who are Mets fans and Yankees fans, but now we have evidence of baseball cats in the heartland.

On Tuesday night, a cat sprinted across Wrigley Field during the 4th inning. Against the backdrop of the iconic ivy-covered walls, the calico deftly eluded capture while several employees tried to corral her. (Cubby Cat got her licks in — those employees were treated for nips and scratches.)

A security guard finally caught the cat but suffered the wrath of the fans after he grabbed Cubby Cat by the TAIL and lifted her over the wall and into the stands.

Cubs spokesman Peter Chase defended the security guard who picked up Cubby Cat by the tail, and said he felt the employees did well under the circumstances. “We all think the young man who picked up the cat did the best he could in a very unique situation,” Chase said. “The cat had already bitten several of our employees, including the young man who was doing his best to corral the cat on the field.”

A Wrigley groundskeeper said she should be named “Ozzie,” after White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who claims to have seen giant rats at Wrigley Field.

A kind veterinarian at the game took charge of the cat and pronounced her no worse the wear for her adventure. She’ll be held until it is verified that she does not have rabies (several Cubs employees were bitten), and it is hoped that someone will claim her or offer to adopt her.

The Cubs are no strangers to baseball cats. In fact, many Cubbies fans believe the team is the victim of the curse of the black cat. In a 1969 game at Shea Stadium, a black cat walked past third baseman Ron Santo during a Cubs-Mets game and “cast a haunting glare at [Santo], then headed for the Cubs dugout, where it stared down the Chicago players as it skulked back and forth,” according to Suite101. The cat was blamed by many Cubs fans when the Mets won the World Series that year.

No one will be casting any blame in Cubby Cat’s direction, though: the Cubs won Tuesday’s game 7-2.

[PHOTO CREDIT: The Chicago Tribune]

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The New York Mets are no strangers to stray cats strutting on their fields. In their inaugural game at Citi Field, a big orange tabby found its way onto the warning track, suggesting the promise of future cat sightings this season.

Watch the video of the cat’s MLB adventure here.

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In 1969 a black cat pranced in front of the Chicago Cubs dugout at Shea Stadium. The Mets went on to beat the Cubs for the National League East division title and won the World Series. The Shea strays have long been part of the stadium’s lore, sometimes scampering across the field during games.

Now, Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats, a Manhattan rescue group, wants the Mets to transplant “Shea Stadium’s feral felines to their new home at Citi Field. They’re part of Mets lore, so why not keep them around?”

A spokeswoman for the city Parks Department said Shea staff believes only a couple of cats live at the ballpark. Once captured, they are taken to shelters. Anthony Rizzo, the parks department coordinator at Shea, said yesterday he’s never seen cats at the stadium.

But Kortis estimates that the stadium may be home to 20 to 40 cats. Its proximity to Flushing Bay makes it a haven for rodents. “When they take out a tarp and roll it and a cat pops up … it’d be unlikely there’d only be one or two,” Kortis said.

The parks department says there is no plan to move the cats to Citi Field. Kortis said cats could be useful at the new ballpark. “They’re right near the water, and if they don’t have them, they’re going to be overrun with rats,” he said.

The Neighborhood Cats organization is dedicated to helping feral cats in the New York area. They are advocates of TNR — Trap-Neuter-Return — as the most effective method to end the feral cat overpopulation crisis faced in the United States. Their mission is to “make TNR a fully understood, accepted and practiced method in every community.” They’ve created award-winning educational materials, including books, videos, and online training focused on feral cat management. Click here for information on how to order their TNR kit and other educational materials.

• Read more about the Shea Cats
• Find out more about Neighborhood Cats, the feral cat experts

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