IRAQ: Insurgent feline?

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The rule for troops about wild animals in Iraq is very clear: Leave them alone.

But one young Marine, missing his pets back home, could not resist a stray cat in an Iraqi village. He was holding the cat in his lap when the animal went on a biting and scratching jag, striking the Marine in a vulnerable spot.

The Marine ended up being evacuated for medical care. No word yet on how he’s handling the inevitable ribbing from buddies about his war wounds.

—Tony Perry in Anbar Province, Iraq