ALPENA –Huron Humane Society in Alpena is warning pet owners in the area about a man who is attempting to acquire animals to harm or even kill them.

The man, identified only as “Chris” by law enforcement officials who are not releasing a last name, has allegedly been responding to posts about lost pets, claiming they are his and inquiring about animals that people are trying to re-home. People who have been contacted by him say he is very convincing and persuading and even forceful when trying to get possession of the animals.

Representatives from HHS sent out a notification about the man on social media and people quickly began to comment that they had encountered the man, who has not been charged with a crime as of yet.

Alpena County Animal Control Officer Michelle Reed said she has read the warning from the shelter and in a news release updated the public on what the county Sheriff’s Office is doing about the man in question.

“The situation involving Chris is being addressed,” the news release said. “At this point, there is a collaborative effort between the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control, Chris’s family, and mental health officials to stop any wrongful activities and get Chris the help he needs. This is an active and ongoing investigation. If anyone has information about this incident, they can contact the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officer.”

Raelynn Kaufmann lives in Alpena and said she had an uncomfortable experience with the man. She said she had multiple cats, including young kittens and another that was pregnant.

Kaufmann said she posted the kittens on Craigsist because she needed to get rid of them, and Chris responded. She said that, after some correspondence, he indicated he preferred to have the pregnant adult cat, Monroe, and she agreed. Kaufmann said that, after dropping the cat off to him where he lived at Thunder Bay Apartments, Chris continued to contact her via texts and Facebook messages. She said she even went to see her old cat once and everything seemed fine, but that changed quickly.

“I finally had to tell him to quit contacting me, because it was getting kind of weird,” Kaufmann said. “Then he sent me a message telling me Monroe got lost in the woods and he blocked me from everything. I looked for her, but never found her.”

Kaufman said there was one other encounter with the man. She said her friend posted on social media that there were kittens available — Kaufmann’s — and she was contacted by the man. Kaufmann said that, when her friend came to pick up the kitten to take it to Chris, they realized it was the same person. She said people need to be extra careful before turning over animals to the man, because she is convinced he is mistreating them, or worse.

“Do not deal with him,” she said. “He is not a good person and I believe he is hurting these animals. I hope the police can do something about this before more animals get hurt.”

Comments under the HHS Facebook post related to Chris included several others who claim to have received inquiries from the man. Some had given him animals unknowingly, while others refused to deal with him because of his odd behavior.

Anyone with information about Chris or who is contacted by the man or suspects abuse or animal cruelty should contact Reed at 989-354-9841.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.