Criss and his cat.
Friday, May 15, 2009 | 6:44 p.m.
First, Criss Angel was accused of stealing Hugh Hefner’s bunny, Holly Madison. Now impersonator Jeff Beacher says Angel stole his cat.
Beacher made the accusations on his MySpace blog Friday.
“Criss Angel stole my cat,” he wrote, adding, “This is not a joke, it's real and it happened.”
Angel’s publicist, meanwhile, declined to comment on Beacher’s claims and called the allegations nothing more than a “stunt.”
Angel mentions his cat, which he affectionately refers to as “Hammie,” during his Cirque du Soleil show, “Believe.”
The tabby cat has white markings on his nose, mouth and paws, and has appeared on television during episodes of Angel’s A&E program, “Mindfreak.”
Beacher takes particular exception to the cat, which he says is actually named “Hamlet,” being used in Angel’s act.
“He's done nothing but taunt me and flash my cat all over his lame show,” Beacher alleged on his blog.
The “Beacher’s Madhouse” star, who last appeared in Las Vegas in March, speaks directly to Angel in the blog entry: “I want my frickin' cat back and since you only do your ‘tricks’ for publicity, maybe this time you'll do something truly magical and man up.”
“This isn't just some press stunt to me,” Beacher insisted. “I want to make sure that I get my cat back.”
The New York Post reports that Beacher’s lawyer, Robert Reynolds, sent a letter to Angel outlining the way Angel allegedly obtained the cat two years ago, and requests its safe return.
In the letter, Reynolds states that Beacher inherited the cat after his parents died from cancer.
He states Beacher was living at the Hard Rock Hotel at the time so he asked a friend, Jennifer Madden, to “temporarily” care for the kitty “until he moved out of the hotel.”
It was then that the alleged catnapping took place.
"Soon thereafter, while still grieving over the recent loss of his father, my client received a phone call from you stating, 'I took your cat. He lives with me now,’” Reynolds alleged.
The lawyer also said Angel made “bizarre allegations” and told his client that “The cat no longer likes you” and “The cat and I have become close friends.”
Beacher said he’s made several attempts to get his cat back, but Angel has refused to cooperate.
“'I’ve tried to reach out to him for some time to do the right thing and return my beloved little feline,” he said.
Reynolds’ letter states Angel “and Mr. Beacher have repeatedly argued about the theft of his cat and (Angel’s) continued unwillingness to return it.
“Perhaps you are not aware of the legal consequences,” Reynolds suggested, adding, “The deprivation of my client's pet for an extended period of time is a clear violation of his rights."
In addition to the return of Hamlet/Hammie, Beacher is reportedly asking for undisclosed damages equal to "the value of the use of his cat during the period of detention."
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