When Animals Attack: Man Suing Woman For Alleged Attack By Pet Cat

A "vicious" cat so grievously wounded a Homer Glen man that he is suing its owner for at least $100,000.

The suit, filed at the Will County Courthouse on behalf of William Baxter, claims the cat's owner, Christine Bobak, "should have known (her) cat had vicious propensities in that, upon information and belief, the cat had attacked at least one other person on at least one prior occasion."

But whether Bobak or Baxter knew the cat was vicious or not, Baxter ended up taking care of the animal in April 2011, the suit said, and that was when the cat "without provocation, viciously attacked, bit and clawed" Baxter.

The suit did not make clear whether Bobak's pet was just some run-of-the-mill house cat or something more considerable and exotic, such as a panther or jaguar. To further complicate matters, the suit says that at the time of the  attack, Baxter lived 14737 Cricketwood Drive in Homer Glen and Bobak resided at 13617 Parker Road, also in Homer Glen. But the current White Pages listing for Baxter at 14844 S. Cricketwood also includes a Christine Bobak.

A message sent to a Christine "Bobak" Baxter on Facebook did not receive an immediate response. William Baxter's attorney, Michael A. Shammas, failed to return calls to clarify his client's relationship with Bobak and to explain just what kind of cat it was that inflicted such "great pain and anguish," both in Baxter's "body and mind."

According to the lawsuit, Baxter was "attempting to feed the cat" when it bit his right ring finger and "clawed along his left arm."

The suit also said that Baxter "will in the future continue to suffer."

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