A Tennessee man has been arrested after breaking into a nature centre while drunk and accidentally freeing a bobcat.

Cayden Melia, 21, had been drinking when he entered Chattanooga’s Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Centre after hours.

The young man broke into the bobcat's cage using a rock in order to play fetch with the animal on around June 10, according to an affidavit.

With the cage opened, the bobcat, named Evi, escaped.

Police originally thought the creature had been stolen, but Evi returned to her cage on June 17 with some injuries.

The bobcat had lost weight and looked to have had a run in with a barbed wire fence, as reported by the Times Free Press.

Mr Melia was identified as a suspect after he contacted a woman seeking details on the nature centre’s camera system. The unidentified woman then reported him to authorities.

Camera footage indicates a second person was involved, but no one has come forward or been identified.

There is no mention of a second person in Mr Melia’s affidavit.

Rather than an arrest for criminal trespassing and vandalism, Mr Melia was issued a citation and must report to Hamilton County Jail by the morning of July 14.