Owner says cat stolen outside home

A cat owner who believes her pet was snatched outside her home might be correct, says a pet store manager who believes such pets are sold online.

Harry, a seven-month-old Lynx Point Siamese, has been missing since Friday. Owner Meghan Zangbell contacted the police after a neighbour told her he saw a stranger scoop up the cat. 

Neighbour Henk Kouwenverg said he watched a woman from his window, who petted Zangbell's cat, walked away, and then returned to pick him up. Zangbell's fiancé was also outside working on his van at the Oakridge home, but didn't realize right away that the cat was missing. 

Lee Palichuk, manager of Pisces Pet Emporium, says he's heard of people taking animals to sell online through sites such as Kijiji or Craigslist.

"Well lots of times, people see an animal that might be worth something and take a chance to take it and possibly sell it to someone to just get some quick cash," he said.

When an animal is outside unleashed, it's considered to be stray, said Brad Nichols, head of protection and investigations at the Calgary Humane Society.

"It's all in the matter of perception. Was the animal taken in good faith by someone who thought it was unattended? Was it stolen? That's up for debate."

Zangbell has been calling neighbours, clinics, animal shelters, and pet stores all weekend long, in hopes of finding her much loved cat.

"I don't think we're going to have kids so this is our baby, this is our little boy. So it's really hard for us," she said.