Lucky Black Cat Helps Pennsylvania Police Track Down Fugitive

Black cats aren’t always considered bad luck. In the English Midlands, brides are given dark-hued felines to bless their marriage, and in Japan, the animals are believed to be auspicious (particularly for single women). Now, the Associated Press reports, the police force in a small Pennsylvania town says a black cat helped them solve a crime.

In late November, the Ephrata Police Department was searching for a 23-year-old man wanted on an outstanding Lancaster County bench warrant (legalese for an arrest warrant that’s issued by a judge or court). Authorities found the man in a local home’s backyard, but he fled the scene, prompting the police to follow him.

Cops searched the surrounding area, but they didn't spot the fugitive. Thankfully, a witness stood nearby—the black cat. As most pet owners know, there’s often no rhyme or reason to feline behavior, but one officer noted that the kitty’s eyes seemed to be fixed on two sheds in the backyard. One of them was empty—but sure enough, the second shed housed the runaway offender.

The man was taken into police custody, and the Ephrata Police Department later shared news of the crime-fighting feline on Facebook. “The Ephrata PD is thankful for any crime fighting assistance we get, whether human or feline!” they wrote. If the kitty sticks around, we sense a reality show in the works …