An Uber Eats driver used one of her food deliveries as an opportunity to carry out an abduction of a family’s beloved pet cat.
The brazen cat-napping took place in Studio City, California, last Tuesday. That is when Patrick Lewis noticed that his pet cat of 18 years named Hog was missing. He immediately began searching for her and asking his neighbors for assistance. That is when one of them came forward to tell him that they’d witnessed a woman pick up the feline. Another neighbor also confirmed the incident and provided surveillance footage showing the moment when the cat was taken. A third neighbor who viewed the video confirmed that the woman seen stealing the cat was the person who delivered their Uber Eats order days earlier. The neighbor provided a receipt, which showed the first and last name of the woman, though that information has not been made public.
The woman is seen entering Lewis’s front yard and placing Hog into a brown paper bag in her vehicle’s back seat before completing the delivery at the neighbor’s home. The driver allegedly also removed Hog’s collar and left it on the sidewalk.
Lewis told local news outlets that he has only been able to view the surveillance footage once, as it is too “heartbreaking” to see his “little girl being kidnapped.” While he and his children are devastated about their pet being taken, he made it “very clear” to Uber Eats representatives that he does not want the driver to get in trouble. Instead, he only wants Hog returned safely.
“My kids ask, they keep saying, ‘When’s Hog coming home? When’s Hog coming home?'” Lewis told FOXLA. “We just want our cat back. That’s all we want.”
In a statement to CBSLA, Uber Eats slammed the abduction, calling it “unacceptable.” They confirmed that they have been in contact with the driver and would do whatever necessary to have Hog returned to his home.
“We are working to get the cat returned, stand ready to help in the police investigation, and will take the appropriate action against the delivery person.”
Hog has grown to be a treasured resident in the area, with neighborhood children making her outfits and participating in drawing contests.
