GRAFTON, Wis. — A Grafton woman has been searching for her missing cat for more than three months, but her efforts hit a roadblock when the feline was spotted at Aurora Medical Center and she was denied permission to set traps on the property.
Elisa Maglio lost her cat Ramen, nicknamed "Hay Hay" by her two children, after a neighbor's loud lawnmower spooked the animal in July. Since then, she has made finding him her top priority, setting eight traps for more than three months.
"A neighbor made a loud noise with their lawnmower or something, and he spooked and took off in like five seconds flat. Very dumb mistake on my end, and I take full responsibility for that," Maglio said.
Maglio, who previously worked in animal welfare and has trapped more than 20 cats since moving to the area, currently cares for five cats total. Ramen is one of them.
The search intensified two weeks ago when Ramen was spotted at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton. Maglio attempted to place traps on the hospital property but encountered resistance from security, who she says removed her traps twice due to liability concerns.
"The problem is that I was told yes, and then I was told no," Maglio said.
She believes security may have scared the cat away during the process. Maglio returned after she says she received permission through friends to search again.
An Aurora spokesperson told TMJ4 News on the phone that Maglio was never given official permission to set traps on their property. When we asked for elaboration, we didn't immediately hear back.
Other local businesses have been more accommodating. Nearby Kapco Metal Stamping tells TMJ4 they allowed Maglio to place traps on their property without issue.
"This could have ended already. I do realize it's private property, but I don't understand why we had to jump, we had to go through all of this to get here," Maglio said.
The Maglio family continues searching for Ramen and is offering a reward for assistance in his safe return.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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