It’s always heartbreaking when a pet is stolen. There has been a number of of pet robberies in the news lately, including one recent, shocking case in which an elderly cat was snatched by a food delivery driver.
Luckily, that story has a happy ending, and the cat is now home safe.
Hog is an 18-year-old cat who has lived with Patrick Lewis and his family since she was a kitten. The old cat has become a beloved part of the household.
But the Studio City, Los Angeles family was left devastated last Tuesday, after Hog was stolen from their own doorstep — by an Uber Eats driver who was delivering food to their home.
The woman was caught on camera. She is seen removing Hog’s collar and leaving it on the doorstep, making it clear that she knows Hog isn’t a stray.
The family was left distraught by the cat’s disappearance. “My kids ask, they keep saying, ‘When’s Hog coming home? When’s Hog coming home?’” Patrick Lewis told FOX 11.
The shocking burglary, occurring just days before Father’s Day, dealt an emotional blow to Patrick in particular, who has raised the cat for nearly two decades.
“Hog is in a weird way the first thing I kind of was a dad to, so we just want her back,” he told CBS Los Angeles.
“We just want our cat back. That’s all we want out of this.”
They contacted Uber, who said the driver’s behavior was “unacceptable” and that they would work to get Hog back.
According to FOX 11, the Uber Eats driver did soon get in contact with the family — but discouragingly, she told them she had given the cat away to a family at a shelter, thinking it was a stray.
The family doubted her account, as Hog’s collars had been removed and Hog “didn’t look like a stray,” but the cat still remained at large.
Thankfully, there was another update that brought this strange case to a close — and a happy ending.
According to FOX 11, a woman in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles noticed her dog barking at a fern in her yard, then discovered that he was barking at a cat.
She sensed that the cat belonged to someone and wasn’t meant to be roaming around, and a post on Nextdoor revealed that it was Hog. She got in contact with the family, and Hog was finally brought home.
Hog’s owners were thrilled. “I’m speechless. I thought a few days ago… ‘this isn’t going to happen, we’re never going to see her again,'” Patrick said.
It’s not entirely clear what really happened in this cat-napping case or how exactly Hog ended up on his own, but Patrick says he’s too happy to have any hard feelings.
“Like I said all along, no one’s mad, we just want Hog back and now Hog’s back… No hard feelings, I’m just so happy right now.”
We’re so glad Hog was found safe and is now back with his family! Share this amazing news!
