AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Update May 18, 1:00 p.m.: The cat has been returned to it’s owner.
Original Story: You’ve heard of porch pirates stealing just about everything, but rarely is a “catnapper” caught on camera stealing a feline from a front porch.
It happened on Sunday in Aurora.
Vickie Madrid says she realized something was wrong when her adult cat named Buttercup didn’t show up for dinner.
“He’s usually right here. The whole thing is so bizarre,” Madrid explained.
Madrid says the cat showed up on her doorstep years ago and she kept him when his owner couldn’t be found.
When she couldn’t find him Sunday night, Madrid says she decided to review her Ring doorbell footage. She was shocked at what she saw.
The video clearly shows a man walk up to Madrid’s front porch. The man bends down and then swipes the cat from underneath a bench and he takes off running to a getaway vehicle.
“It made me sick to my stomach. Even to look at it now, makes me sick to my stomach. It’s just cruel. Who does that?” Madrid said.
It turns out that cat burglar also had a hankering for milk.
The same man was also caught on camera elsewhere in the neighborhood swiping a Royal Crest milk cooler from a home, along with a package from the front of another home.
“It’s like they were on a Bonny and Clyde joy ride. Who does that?” asked Madrid.
Each time the suspect hops into a teal or green SUV, likely a Chevy Equinox.
Madrid says she has no idea why someone would want to flee with her feline, but now he’s gone. All she can do is hope and pray that her beloved Buttercup will somehow return.
“He found us once and I just pray he can find us again. That’s what I hope,” she said.