DALLAS — Roger Booth took drastic steps when he walked out of Dallas Animal Services Monday morning armed with a baseball bat and clutching his cat, Mr. Gray.

A neighbor had turned the cat over to the city, even though it had tags with the owner's information.

Booth, 59, who is suffering from stage IV prostrate cancer, said he wielded the bat because he couldn't afford the $130 fee to free his cat from the shelter.

"I didn't want to go to jail, but I didn't want my cat to die, either," Booth said. "I took the chance because I didn't want him to die for ridiculously high prices."

Right after Booth's story was broadcast on Tuesday, Channel 8 and Dallas Animal Services received calls from people offering to pay Booth's debt, saying they couldn't imagine a person dying of cancer without his cat.

"If the guy really, really doesn't have the money, I'll pay it for him; not that he was right for doing what he did," said one caller to the shelter.

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Mr. Gray is back with Roger Booth.

And just like that, the debt facing Mr. Gray's owner was paid.

"Thank you very much," Booth said, clutching his cat. "Look at this face. How could you put a needle in him and kill him?"

Booth acknowledges that he's not out of trouble yet; police detectives and the district attorney are reviewing the evidence to see whether any charges will be filed based his alleged threats to staffers at the shelter.

"I didn't rob a bank; I just saved my cat," Booth said.

E-mail ddenmon@wfaa.com