Lion-Tiger Hybrid Mauls Girl -- Owner Kills 400-Pound Cat That Latched Onto 11-Year-Old Trying To Pet It

CORBETT, Ore. - A lion-tiger hybrid mauled an 11-year-old girl who put her hand inside the 400-pound cat's cage, stubbornly locking its jaws on her arm until its owner shot it dead.

Katie Leamy of Corbett underwent surgery yesterday in Portland to repair extensive muscle damage and was expected to regain full use of her arm and hand.

She tried to pet the cat during a visit yesterday with her parents, Pat and Becky, to family friend Ed Winebarger, who kept the hybrid, known as a liger, in a large cage.

"Katie reached in to pet the cat and the cat grabbed her arm just like a small dog grabs a rope," Becky Leamy said. "It was pulling and she was pulling and screaming."

The girl's father reached in but was unable to free her, so Winebarger shot the cat once in the head, killing it instantly.

Leamy said he wasn't worried when his daughter put her hand in the cage because Winebarger also was petting the cat, which had appeared docile in the past.

The liger was described as mostly light brown, with tigerlike stripes on its back and down its legs.

Doug Carpenter, a Multnomah County animal-control officer, said Winebarger lacks a permit to hold exotic animals.

Corbett is about 20 miles east of Portland.