Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: Need ID on Hairy Black Cat, 2 by Florida9

Florida9 wrote:
I found this cat, about 2" long and covered in long black spines, on a lavender plant on my screened in patio here in the Tampa Bay area of west/central Florida. It has deep orange/red stripes around its body. Before I throw it outside to fend for itself I thought I should try to see if it would be desirable to put in a butterfly cage to try to let it hatch in here. I would also like to know what else it might eat other than my one and only lavender, which it is chomping through fairly quickly. Thanks for any help you can provide.