Thieving squirrel, seven-legged deer top odd news

From a cat in the wall to patriotic squirrels, characters that seemed more suited to cartoons than news stories made headlines in Wisconsin in 2006.

The animal news of the year started with Mary Poppins, the pet cat that Jany Chumas couldn't find after remodeling the basement at her Eau Claire home.

Then Sir Charles Nugget wandered away from Georgia truck driver John Withers when he was in the Oconto County community of Lena. Withers couldn't find his dog and finally had to leave, but told authorities to call him if Nugget turned up.

Last March, after eight months, he got the call and drove up from Georgia for the dog no one could catch. Withers and his other dog, Moose Edward, coaxed Nugget out from under a parked truck.

Squirrels at Eau Claire's Forest Hill Cemetery had an affinity for the U.S. flag.

Workers thought youngsters were stealing dozens of flags — until they found a squirrel's nest with distinctive shades of red, white and blue. They were ripped and serving as the foundation of a giant nest.