Missing purr-son? Cards on lookout for rally cat

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' rally cat is still at large.
A fan who had claimed the cat was hers lost track of the club's Wednesday night phenom somewhere in City Garden following the Cards' 8-5 comeback win against the Royals. She had found the cat outside the stadium and left abruptly with the animal after it had been removed from the outfield playing surface.
The cat was initially recovered by Lucas Hackmann, a Busch Stadium grounds crew member. He then placed the cat outside of the stadium near Gate 3 of the ballpark, while he went to attend to his claw and bite injuries via first aid. As ushers attempted to contain the cat, the fan -- Korie Harris, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch -- scooped the cat and left after briefly answering questions from Cardinals security officials.

Harris reportedly named the cat Yadi, without cognizance of Yadier Molina's go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning that ensued just after the cat ran on the field. She planned to adopt the cat, though neither she nor anyone else has been able to find it since it took off into a patch of tall grass outside the ballpark.
"I didn't spend any time looking for the cat today," manager Mike Matheny said. "I laughed last night. Poor guy getting trashed by a little cat. I mean that was really interesting to watch. The fact that what happened next, I'm sure it will be something we'll see little clips of for a long time."
Multiple Cardinals players stated their support for the cat and expressed a willingness to accept it as a pet if it would help extend their winning streak, which reached five games after Wednesday's victory.

"The right person is going to find [the cat]," outfielder Dexter Fowler said. "We would take care of it. Anybody wants to come to the Fowler house, we'll take care of it."
Greg Garcia agreed, stating that he would even pray to the adorable feline if that's what it takes.
Reports surfaced Wednesday night that the Humane Society had recovered the cat, but the Cards said Thursday that was not the case.
"We are hopeful someone will find the cat and contact us so we can properly care for it. Our grounds crew is working on developing a stray animal protocol to ensure the safety of both crew and animal should this happen again," the Cardinals said in a statement. "In the meantime, the Cardinals are looking to scratch and claw their way back to the top of the division standings."