Cat placed in "solitary confinement" for "repeatedly" breaking feline friends out of shelter

A mischievous cat named Quilty has earned internet fame for repeatedly breaking himself out of his enclosure at a Texas animal shelter. But, he doesn't just escape — he brings all of his feline friends along with him.

The Friends for Life animal shelter of Houston posted about its little Houdini on Facebook late last month. "Quilty will not be contained. And he has no shame," the organization wrote. "Quilty loves to let cats out of the senior room. Repeatedly. Several times a day."

The shelter wrote that his prison breaks became so frequent that staff had to do something about it — and "Quilty-proofed" the cat room by banishing the feline, in an attempt to temper the mass escapes.

"His roommates missed him while he was banished to the lobby. They enjoyed their nighttime escapades around the shelter. The staff, however, did not miss the morning cat wrangling, so we'll just have to agree to disagree there," the shelter added. 

The 6-year-old cat has always been a prison break master, it seems, as the shelter said he would let his dog siblings in the house at his previous home.

The post and attached photos went viral, garnering over 16,000 shares and more that 11,000 comments. Quilty became so beloved that the shelter continued to update followers about the cat's antics and repeated escape attempts.

"Update: Quilty's review with the parole board was denied, so he released himself of his own recognizance today," joked the shelter on Facebook on Halloween. "He felt that confinement had nothing more to offer him. He has been returned to solitary."

The shelter even began selling merchandise, including shirts branded with the hashtag #FreeQuilty, and started an Instagram account for him.

However, unlike many escapees, Quilty's story appears to be heading toward a happy ending. The shelter updated the cat's online profile Tuesday, explaining that the pet is on a one-week trial period with a potential adopter, who appeared to be wild about him.

"He hasn't shown any slickness at all yet; he is the most loving and affectionate cat I have ever met!" his potential fur-parent told the shelter. It seems the sly little cat may have escaped his way to a forever home after all.