( CNN ) A custody battle could be brewing over the Florida cat that was supposedly thought to be dead , buried and found alive several days later . The latest in the thickening plot line ripped from an animal version of `` The Walking Dead '' : The executive director of the Tampa Humane Society announced the group would not be returning the cat to its owner . Bart , or `` Zombie Cat , '' as he has been called on social media , was discovered `` unresponsive '' by his owner last week lying in a pool of blood . His body was cold and his face was severely disfigured , representatives from the Tampa Humane Society said . The cat 's owner , Ellis Hutson , told the Humane Society that he buried his pet with the help of a neighbor . `` If we 'd seen that cat on the road , we 'd assumed he was dead , '' said Nash McCutchen , marketing coordinator with the Tampa Humane Society . Five days later , a different neighbor said she found Bart walking in her yard , presumably after he clawed his way out of the grave . The neighbor returned the cat to Hutson , who brought the cat , who was covered in open wounds and dehydrated , to the Humane Society for help . But remarkably , McCutchen said , the kitty had no internal injuries , and on Wednesday , Bart underwent surgery to remove his left eye and have his jaw wired shut . He had a blood transfusion Thursday , according to the Tampa Humane Society 's website . Since the attention Bart received after he allegedly `` rose from the dead , '' more information has surfaced about Bart 's `` home environment and the circumstances leading up to his burial , '' Sherry Silk , executive director of the Tampa Humane Society said in a release . According to Polk County , Florida , court documents , Hutson was arrested in 1998 and charged with cruelty to animals . The nature of the charges is unclear , and the charges were later thrown out . A video of a man administering first aid to the cat , along with a Go Fund Me page set up by the neighbor despite the Humane Society 's promise to pay for the cat 's treatment , have raised doubts about whether Bart was injured the way his owner said . But Silk said she has no reason to believe the story she was told is n't true . `` All of Bart 's injuries are consistent with him being hit by a car , '' Silk said . Likewise , Humane Society veterinarians believe the feline was buried for a time . `` He had dirt in every orifice of his body , and maggots covering his open wounds , '' Silk said . Silk said she also believes that Bart was well taken care of before being injured , because he was a good weight and is a very friendly cat . `` He likes human beings and is n't skittish at all , '' Silk said . Still , after meeting with Bart 's owner Thursday for about 40 minutes , Silk said she has to act in the best interest of the cat , which in her opinion means keeping the cat at the Humane Society . Hutson , however , has refused to sign over his rights to the cat , she said . `` I believe [ Hutson ] cares about the cat , '' Silk said , but `` we are prepared to fight to keep the cat . '' Calls to Hutson were not immediately returned .
Humane Society says it no longer plans to return `` Zombie Cat '' to his owner . Bart the cat underwent jaw reconstruction , eye removal and a blood transfusion . Cat was nicknamed `` Zombie Cat '' because he was found dead , was buried , then found alive .