Mr. Bigglesworth Spotted In Cemetery

PITTSBURGH -- He has been missing for three weeks, but a search party is hot on the "tail" of the elusive cat known as Mr. Bigglesworth.

Video

Watch The Hunt For Mr. Bigglesworth

The African Serval cat looks like a cheetah. He is about 2 feet high, 3 feet long, and weighs about 40 pounds. He got away from owner Mark Nurenberg on Aug. 2 in Point Breeze.

Several volunteers with tracking dogs spotted the cat roaming through Homewood Cemetery and Frick Park on Wednesday night. They came close several times, but the cat was always one step ahead.

A Mifflin police officer was able to shoot Mr. Bigglesworth with a tranquilizer dart at one point during the search. The glassy eyed cat stumbled into some bushes and hissed violently when some would-be captors approached, forcing them to quickly take a step back.

A trap was set up (pictured, left), but Mr. Bigglesworth was too smart to fall for it. He took off into the woods and wasn't seen again.

The rough terrain of the cat's new stomping grounds is easy for him to navigate but not for humans, which is making the search difficult. Every time the cat is spotted, he is able to run away quicker than the search party can follow.

WTAE-TV's Jon Greiner and an Action News camera crew joined the hunt Wednesday and were able to catch a fleeting glance of Mr. Bigglesworth on tape. Click the video box above to watch that footage.

Nurenberg said Mr. Bigglesworth is declawed, has all his shots and is not dangerous. However, police say anyone who spots the cat should call 911 instead of approaching him.

Nurenberg said people can also contact him toll-free on his pager at 888-992-6403.