Rally Cat Now Has A Lawyer

It was all fun and games when a cat ran onto the field during a St. Louis Cardinals game earlier this month. An employee wrangled him, the cat bit him, and Yadier Molina hit a grand slam on the next pitch. Rally cat!

But then the cat went missing; it ran off when the Cardinals employee went to tend to his cat-related wounds. Rally Cat—or, at least, a cat resembling Rally Cat—was later captured. The St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach have since been in a feud over who gets to keep the cat.

The Cardinals considered the cat theirs and planned a “welcome home” celebration for Rally Cat. The cat nonprofit didn’t consider the cat to be Cardinals property and accused the team of “bullying.” Cardinals VP of communications Ron Watermon shot back: “It is personally hurtful to me, irresponsible and, frankly, childish. There is no need for the organization to personally attack me for doing my job.”

The feud continues today, as the Riverfront Times. The St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach had a phone conversation with the Cardinals on Saturday, and the SLFCO is not happy about how it went.

“The priorities of the Club appear inconsistent with the goals and mission of the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach,” attorney Albert Watkins said in a press release. “The SLFCO is aware of the ability and desire of the Redbirds to commercially exploit Rally Cat. However, commercial exploitation simply must take a back seat to that which is right for this four legged furry creature.”

Watkins, a media-friendly St. Louis lawyer who previously represented both a former major leaguer who was sued by Albert Pujols and a teenager who sold “South Butt” parody merchandise, has been hired by the SLFCO to advocate for Rally Cat. This critter now has counsel.

[ Riverfront Times]