Pat Dollard

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Navarro

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – A cat formerly known as Navarro, which police believe was marinating in an oil mixture in the trunk of a man’s car, has left a local animal shelter with a new name and a new owner.

“He is gentle, he is passive, he is beautiful,” said Vicki Dankowski, shortly after adopting her new feline friend, now called Oliver.

Buffalo police believe the cat could have become a meal, however, had they not pulled over Gary Korkuc, 51, for failing to stop at a stop sign Sunday.

According to a police report, officers in the process of ticketing Korkuc discovered the cat, which “appeared to be marinating in crushed red pepper, chili powder, salt and oil” inside his car.

“From what we understand from Buffalo police the person who owned this kitty was marinating him in order to cook him,” said Gina Browning, spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Erie County.

Korkuc denies he was planning to eat the cat.

“No, no, that’s conjecture and that’s an assumption,” Korkuc said.

Korkuc, who is charged with aggravated animal cruelty, claims the cat was pregnant and miscarried and was not sitting in marinade.

“That was its blood and feces, and I was taking it back over to the SPCA when they stopped me,” he said.

SPCA officials counter that the cat was in fact a male which had been neutered.

“No, it was a female,” insisted Kortuc, who went on to further claim the 4-year-old cat had been previously poisoned with DDT (a pesticide banned for use in the early 1970s).

Kortuc also made bizarre claims that police were in the process of fire bombing a building when they stopped him.

“I’m sad that someone has that kind of problem in their life and which seems to be kind of a recurring situation,” said Erie County SPCA Executive Director Barbara Carr.

While confirming her agency adopted the cat out to Korkuc in the first place, Carr insisted, “that has nothing to do with our screening process. During our screening process this person presented themselves as a normal human being.”

“They can make it out to any way they want to , but I’m not crazy,” said Kurkuc.

One thing is certain.

He’ll never be allowed to adopt an animal from the Erie County SPCA again .

“Even though we’re great believers in redemption, this is somebody we’ve put on our list that we will not adopt to,” Carr said.