Photo/Illutration Tama the Superintendent, who has lived in the Okayama prefectural police school in Kita Ward of Okayama for five years, on Sept. 18 (Yuta Kayaba)

OKAYAMA--Oh where, oh where, did our cute kitten go?

Instructors here at the Okayama prefectural police school are likely wondering just that after seeing the new rebellious side of the cat they took in five years ago.

Back then, they had developed such a soft spot for the feline that they appointed her as a mascot to "run" the facility.

Fast-forward to September this year. The fully grown white cat they affectionately dubbed “Tama the Superintendent,” was handed her first important assignment: appearing in an event to enlighten the public about traffic safety.

But she disobeyed orders her first day at work on Sept. 18.

The impulsive pet that tends to pop up in unexpected places at unpredictable moments was nowhere to be found the morning of the event, forcing several instructors to embark on a massive cat chase.

They stumbled upon her at the last minute hiding out in front of one of the buildings on the school grounds.

The instructors managed to hold Tama in place long enough to get her custom-made police cap on.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until Tama took off in the middle of the ceremony to pledge “zero road accidents,” shrugging off her honorary cap in the process.

Perhaps the presence of 70-or-so nursery school toddlers at the event scared her off.

School instructors, who hope to make the cat a household name that represents the Okayama prefectural police, said despite Tama's recent behavior, they haven’t given up on the rookie superintendent just yet and have no plans to demote her.