Some residents, who believed that Hauser was a true feral person and “savant,” speculated that he may have actually been a lost prince, or perhaps even the son of Stéphanie de Beauharnais.

So far from shore, so helpless, staring into the face of this creature that looked like nothing I’d ever seen — its expression was feral, almost demonic, devoid of the curiosity or playfulness ...

Note: A previous version of this story ran on Feb. 29, 2024. The Chicago area has one of the most progressive feral cat policies in the nation. That’s in large part because Cook County is one of ...