A tattooed cat found living in a prison in Juarez, Mexico, has been placed in a new home in Texas.
The hairless cat was rescued from Cereso No. 3 state prison when officers searched the cells after a prison break on New Year’s Day. The incident left 10 guards and seven inmates dead.
The cat had been tattooed in the prison by inmates. One of the tattoos it received reads, “Hecho en Mexico” (“Made in Mexico”) and includes a logo with an eagle’s head that Los Mexicles street gang uses. The prison break helped Mexicles leader Ernesto “El Neto” Alfredo Piñón escape. Fellow gang members were able to get “El Neto” out of the prison, but he was killed in a shootout with police days later.
The tattooed cat wasn’t the only thing officers found in the prison cells. They also discovered other pets living behind bars, plasma TVs, drugs, liquor, money, and musical instruments. There was even a mechanical bull in one of the cells.
Once the cat was placed for adoption, hundreds of people from around the world showed interest in making it part of their family.
According to reports, a special committee was formed in Juarez to find a home for the cat. From the hundreds of adoption applications that came in, the committee cut their options down to 10 and ultimately decided to send the cat to someone living in Texas.
For safety reasons, the identity of the new owner was not released.