Kitten Stolen from Shelter West Palm Beach, FL (US) Incident Date: Friday, May 6, 2005 County: Palm Beach Local Map: available Disposition: Open Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 4541 Classification: Theft Animal: cat View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

Kittens were stolen from the Palm Beach County's Animal Care and Control center. Two men who pulled up at the center's night drop-off about 2 a.m. on May 6 wanted the kittens very badly. Together, they pried open the cages, tossed the animals into a box and drove off.

The sheriff's office is investigating the unsolved catnapping, and animal control officials are left
wondering what dark purpose the men may have had when they swiped the kittens in the middle of the night.

"These guys don't appear to be the cat-loving sort," said Lt. Dave Walesky of the county's Animal Care and Contol division. "We worry that their intentions may not be too good."

A security camera caught the men in the act, but officials didn't realize any animals were missing
until a woman who dropped off one of the felines overnight came in the next morning to check whether the kitten was OK.

The kittens were stolen from a drop-off spot in the front of the facility where people can leave stray or unwanted animals after normal business hours. There, an animal is placed in a self-locking cage and then the person dropping off the animal is asked to fill out a form.

The video shows two men pulling up in what appears to be a small tow truck. They each pry open a cage with their hands and place the kittens in a small cardboard box they find on the floor.

The men are also shrewd enough to remove the forms, so that there was no immediate indication of the theft except for minor damage to the cage.

Capt. Gina DiPace of Animal Care and Control said officials worried that dog fighters might use the kittens as bait to entice pitbulls to train harder before their fights, something that she says often ends with the kittens in the jaws of the dogs.

"I can never recall two men in a tow truck coming just to steal animals," DiPace stated. "Something's definitely not right there."

Anyone with information about the theft can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers
at (800) 458-TIPS (8477).

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Crime Stoppers
(800) 458-TIPS (8477

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