Feline or felon?

The dateline ("Bridgeport, Conn.") itself bodes ill. The sordid story unfolds, and a tough guy living in Utah asserts, "I'm from South Jersey, and I don't take crap from a cat".
I suspect that the cat does not have a warm, loving household full of Cowboy Cookout and plenty of papers to read (and scratch). Why would any sensible cat want to go out of the house? And why attack others, when really they are the best spot for rubbing one's chin against?