Cat Burglar Nabs Man's Pet From Hempfield Twp. Apartment
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- There's a cat burglar on the loose in Westmoreland County.
A Hempfield Township man is very upset after he says he came home to find his home tampered with and his cat gone without a trace.
A look around 34-year-old Scott Nicolson's Hempfield Township apartment at it's clear from the signs to the toys, he's a cat person.
But recently, Nicolson came home and discovered something missing.
"Pinot, my cat, there was no sign of him, which was a little weird. We checked all his favorite spots and he wasn't there," Nicolson said.
Nicolson also noticed that other than his cat, the apartment still had everything in place.
"Everything is here," he said.
But there was something else that was a little off.
"The thermostat was off which is absolutely impossible, and that's when we knew something was really, really wrong," Nicolson said.
It seems someone somehow got into the apartment, turned off the heat, and performed a catnapping. But why would someone just steal a cat and scoot?
"That is an excellent question, sir, I wish I knew," Nicolson says.
It's a question state police are trying to answer as well, and as for how they may have gotten into the apartment.
"I can't be 100 percent certain, but the door was locked," Nicolson says.
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Nicolson's other cat escaped capture.
While this burglary may seem strange, it's not unusual for animals of certain breed or value to be taken now and again, but this particular cat was just a regular house pet.
The investigation continues, but recovery of the animal, if stolen, may prove very difficult, so for now Nicolson can do nothing but wait.
"I want my cat home; failing that, I just want to know that he's safe," said Nicolson.
