Pets

Henry Golding's fostered pit bull mauled another pooch in a park -- causing a trip to the vet and staples -- but the actor is now stepping up to cover the injured pooch's bills.

Here's the deal ... the "Crazy Rich Asians" star is fostering a pit bull named Stella during the coronavirus pandemic, and last week Henry brought her to Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles, where all hell broke loose.

We're told Stella attacked a smaller pup while the dogs were running around, picking the pooch up by the neck and causing a large gash that required several hours at an animal hospital. The hurt pup needed 6 staples, but will survive.

The owner of the smaller dog tells us she spoke to a police officer who was at the park, but the cops couldn't do anything and told her the incident needed to be resolved between the 2 parties. We're also told Henry's dog was on a leash, and the smaller pooch was not.

Tragic news from Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman's family ... their beloved pet cat, Benji, was killed in a hit-and-run Monday night.

"He was struck by a car who didn’t even stop to check on him ... we found him too late. Our hearts are broken," Freddie's wife, Chelsea, said in an emotional post on Instagram.

"He was the best cat you could ever ask for, he was more like a dog or even a person," Chelsea said ... adding Benji was very close with their 3-year-old son, Charlie.

"He would run and greet us at the front door, chase baseballs and jump on the trampoline with Charlie... he and Charlie were best friends and he was a cherished child to us for the last 6 years."

The Atlanta Braves shared their condolences in the comments section, saying "We love you, Freeman family ❤️ Benji was the best!"

Chelsea ended the sad post with a heartbreaking line -- "I know Freddie’s mom and Grandma are loving on him in heaven but God does this hurt💔 We love you so much Benji💔"

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic runs far and wide, and one woman is beside herself with anger and frustration because she's at risk for coming down with rabies and can't get help.

Check out this video ... she says a cat scratched her and she's trying to get a tetanus shot ... typically to prevent rabies.

She says she went to UCLA and they told her to go to a nearby Urgent Care, which they said was open. She followed instructions, but when she arrived at Urgent Care at 4:30 PM Saturday no one was in sight, despite a sign saying they were open until 6.

Before Joe Exotic was known to the world as the Tiger King, he desperately tried his hand at being a "Wolf King" ... but he got dethroned after a very short reign.

TMZ's learned Joe Exotic got his hands on 28 gray wolves back in early 2018 after a so-called "petting zoo" in Minneapolis was forced to give up the animals following an unfavorable ruling at trial over a lawsuit alleging it violated the federal Endangered Species Act.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund was behind that lawsuit ... and it didn't take long before the ALDF had Joe in its crosshairs. Christopher Berry, the ALDF attorney behind the lawsuit, tells TMZ ... he fired off a legal letter to Joe accusing him of also violating that law.

The letter accuses Joe of transporting the wolves from Minnesota to Oklahoma, which is one of the ESA violations because it's against federal law to transport protected animals across state lines without a permit.

The lawyer also accused Joe of trying to sell protected animals ... Berry pointed out the commercial sale of a protected animal violates federal law. Berry also alleged Joe tried to sell at least 4 wolf pups on social media.

And, get this ... Berry offered to resolve the issue amicably, but Joe wasn't having it. Berry tells us a few days after Joe received the letter, Joe was pissed off to the point he called Berry and chewed him out in a profanity-laced rant ... denying he broke any laws.

We're told, Joe ultimately admitted trying to get a handle on wolves proved way more challenging than he anticipated. One example ... the wolves often clawed out of their enclosures and ran amok at Joe's G.W. Exotic Animal Park.

Berry says Joe ultimately turned the wolves over to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center ... an animal protection org. in Ventura, CA. After complying with Berry's letter, we're told the ALDF took no further legal action against Joe.

As for how Joe's facility got selected to receive the wolves ... we're told the Minnesota petting zoo was desperate to find the wolves new homes, but irresponsibly sent 28 of the as many as 60 wolves to Joe, who clearly was not equipped to care for them.

But, just when ya think there's a happy ending ... think again. Berry says only 25 of the 28 wolves at Joe's facility were transferred to Lockwood. He says one of the wolves died from an infection at Joe's park. As for the two remaining wolves ... they went MIA and no one ever figured out what happened to them.

Then again, Joe Exotic's been accused of heinous acts against animals.

Katy Perry's beloved street cat, who became a mascot for the singer and her legion of fans, has passed on.

Kitty Purry made an inauspicious entry into Katy's life -- through her then-boyfriend's window.  Fast-forward to Katy the singing icon ... the darn cat became so popular it even appeared in Katy's music video for "I Kissed a Girl."

Fans would swarm Katy and Kitty after her concerts ... begging for a selfie. Short story ... next to Grumpy Cat, Kitty Purry was top of the kitty litter.

Katy posted an homage to her beloved pet ... "Kitty Purry crawled through my then-boyfriend’s window 15 years ago, fully pregnant and seeking shelter. Two litters and many moons later, this street cat became a lovable mascot to many. Sadly, Kitty completed her 9th life last night. I hope she rests in salmon fillets and tuna tartare way up in catnip heaven. Kitty, thanks for the cuddles and companionship along the way. Big thanks to my brother David and @garethwalters for being great co-parents 💔 #kittypurryforever"

Katy's had a rollercoaster 2020 ... she's expecting her first child with Orlando Bloom, so she's clearly stoked about that, but she lost her grandma last month so she's also dealing with that hardship.

Kitty Purry was 15.

Steve Cash -- known to his millions of fans as the guy behind the "Talking Kitty Cat" videos on YouTube -- is dead by suicide ... TMZ has learned.

The social media star died Thursday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Steve's wife, Celia DeCosta Cash, wrote on Facebook, "I just lost my best friend, my sidekick, my lover, my mentor, my absolute everything. It hurts me to share this. Please understand, give the family time to grieve, but know that Steve is no longer in pain."

Steve was open with his fans about his mental health battles. Back in September, someone replied to one of his posts saying, "You've been so active on social media lately that at first I thought you were hacked."

Steve replied, "Nah, just bipolar. I'm on a manic up right now. When I go back into depression I'll vacate everything."

He started his sketch comedy series (think "Garfield") on YouTube in November 2007. He voiced every episode in which he talks to his cats as if they were humans. The short but popular videos drew tons of fans ... with 2.43 million subscribers.

In nearly two decades, Steve racked up more than 770 MILLION views and counting. His most popular video is the "Bad! Bad! Bad!" episode from 4 years ago ... with 17 million views. His last video was posted on December 30.

Joe Exotic was a master magician with a huge bag of tricks, according to his old magic promos -- but of course, he still couldn't make Carole Baskin disappear.

TMZ's obtained some never-before-seen footage of Joe's old magic show ... from a 6-minute highlight reel. The promo was never intended for the public, but for the venues where Joe booked his high-paying gigs.

As you know, the 'Tiger King' star had a traveling tiger and magic show in addition to his zoo, and he made tons of stops at malls, shopping centers and theaters across the country ... before Carole got involved.

Joe's promo is everything you would expect from the entertainment genius ... it's called, "Mystical of The Endangered," and it shows Joe performing magic with tons of exotic beasts.

There's sword tricks, pyrotechnics, a mime, vanishing, illusions and lots and lots of animals ... tigers, snakes and parrots, oh my!

JP Wilson, the magician from 'Tiger King,' tells TMZ ... he met Joe back in 2004 during a magic show in Norman, OK where Joe supplied him with a tiger. JP says Joe was so impressed with his magic, Exotic brought him on tour.

Eventually, Joe wanted to be the magician and JP says he taught him some tricks. Joe and JP worked together for years, until Carole and the animal rights folks shut down Joe's traveling performances.

JP says he remained close with Joe and would visit the zoo a couple times a year, even sponsoring a tiger at one point.

The wildest part ... JP firmly believes if Carole and the animal rights people didn't get Joe's traveling show shut down, and cut off his main source of income, Joe wouldn't have been forced into breeding tigers.

The biggest mystery in Netflix's 'Tiger King' is whether Don Lewis was murdered and, if so, who did him in.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tells TMZ, he's convinced one person could NOT have committed the 1997 murder ... he says someone must have helped and someone got paid.

Although Hillsborough says Don's wife, Carole Baskin, is NOT a suspect or person of interest, he tells us he's suspicious of her and he's also suspicious of others. Watch FOX Monday night at 9 PM for our special, "TMZ Investigates, Tiger King: What Really Went Down?" He explains exactly why he's suspicious.

The Sheriff's looking for someone to come forward -- maybe someone who helped who wants to clear his or her conscience -- and spill the beans.

Sheriff Chronister also makes it clear ... he's willing to deal with anyone who has info, and immunity is on the table.

Carole has strongly maintained she had nothing to do with Don's disappearance.