In January, a car hit the 1 ½-year-old cat named Bart in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported at the time.

Bart's owner, Ellis Hutson, 52, approached Bart lying in the middle of E 113th Avenue and thought he was dead. Too distraught to bury Bart, he asked neighbor Dusty Albritton, 42, to bury him.

Five days later, as Albritton fed her neighborhood's stray cats on her porch, Bart approached the house. Fur matted and jaw broken, he meowed for food.

"At first it blew me away," Albritton told Tampa Bay Times. "All I knew was this cat was dead and 'Pet Sematary' is real."

Albritton notified Hutson, who took Bart to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay where the cat was diagnosed with dehydration, a ruptured eye, broken jaw and a torn-up face.

On Jan. 27, Bart reportedly received surgery to wire his jaw shut, remove an eye and insert a feeding tube. The more than $1,000 veterinarian costs were covered by donations and the humane society's Save-A-Pet Medical Fund.

The agency's executive director Sherry Silk said that when Bart recovered in about six weeks, he'd go home with Hutson, but on Jan. 30 the humane society posted this statement on its website: "Recently we have learned new information about Bart's home environment and the circumstances leading up to his burial. Therefore, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay does not intend to return Bart to the Hutson family. We are prepared to fight for the best interests of this cat. We hope the Hutson family will do the right thing and surrender Bart to our care so that we can find an appropriate environment for him to live out his life."

Silk told WFTS that Hutson's daughter constantly attempts to play with Bart. "She's a typical 2-year-old. We want a home with no young children that could put him in jeopardy."

She also told the ABC affiliate that she viewed a YouTube video of Bart that contributed to the decision.

Hutson has filed a lawsuit against the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for "keeping Bart for publicity to raise money for the organization."

"If we have to go to court, we have to go to court," Hutson told WFTS. "I haven't done anything wrong, and I don't think it's right to take my cat."

In a statement sent to Daily Mail Online, the humane society said, "On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay was served with official Hillsborough County Court documents notifying the Society that it is being sued by Ellis Wayne Hutson for the custody of Bart the cat."

The statement further reads, "Mr. Thomas Gonzalez, of Thompson Sizemore, Gonzalez & Hearing, has agreed to volunteer his time to represent the interests of Sherry Silk, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and Bart the cat. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay will review all legal options to keep Bart safe and secure. Bart continues his medical treatment and care at the Society's animal hospital."