Catnapped! Villeray family hoping their feline friend will return

CTV Montreal: Catnapped Robert Bernabei's cat was stolen in the middle of the night

A Villeray family is hoping to find their cat after it was taken from outside their house.

The incident was captured on surveillance video just after 3 a.m. last Thursday.

Robert Bernabei said he was woken up by his doorbell, but by the time he got to his front door, nobody was there.

He then reviewed his surveillance video and could not believe his eyes.

It showed a van with two women inside parking in front of his house.

"She picked up the cat the first time, brought it inside the car, removed the collar, threw it right there at the corner over there and then let the cat out," said Bernabei.

Minutes later the van, and the women, were back.

"She got out of the vehicle, took the cat and just took off," said Bernabei.

He called police and filed a report about a stolen cat, because nothing about the incident made sense.

"If it's a rescuer why would they take off the collar? Because it's got the tag on it with my name and number," said Bernabei.

His family has also put up posters about the missing cat, which they have had for eight years.

Blackie was a stray they found wandering around the neighbourhood, and they are feeling his loss."

"It's almost going to be a week that he's gone and I felt like after a day or two he would come back," said Marissa Bernabei.

The SPCA said it, too, is keeping an eye out for the cat.

Meanwhile Marissa is regularly checking the websites for the SPCA and Berger Blanc in case someone turns in their pet.

"I've been on the sites and they haven't showed up," said Marissa.

In the meantime, the Bernabeis hope the posters, and the publicity, will convince the catnappers to return their pet.