Owner tried to outsmart thieves demanding ransom using GPS on his cat’s collar — but one wrong text later, his pet was gone forever
A pet owner regrets letting out an important detail while dealing with a stranger who stole his tuxedo cat. Chris Kete and his wife, Tiffany, were on the verge of reuniting with their beloved feline, Fifty, when one wrong text message ruined their hopes. One night, the couple received a random call about their lost pet and were asked for a reward. Perplexed, Chris recalled having seen Fifty in their front yard minutes ago and assumed it was some sort of prank—until it wasn’t.
When Chris from North Carolina received the call at 8:32 p.m., a young man informed him, "Hey, I got your cat. Is there a reward?" Chris explained that Fifty was “not lost” at all, as reported by Newsweek. However, the caller rechecked on the reward, and it didn’t occur to him that this was theft. "So there's no reward?" the thief asked. Concerned for Fifty’s safety, Chris demanded, “Just tell me where the cat is.” He thought Fifty may have wandered off outside, and someone was trying to help him return home. This was until the owner realized the catnappers’ sinister plan.
The thieves were plotting to demand a ransom in exchange for the cat. Chris continued talking to them over text. They refused to reveal their identities but kept inquiring about the reward. They claimed they had found the cat at a gas station near the couple’s home and urged them to come if they wanted to reunite with Fifty. Chris jumped in his car immediately and drove to the location. While at it, he made a mistake that probably cost him his cat. “I told him, 'I'm looking at my GPS app right now to verify where he is,'" he said.
Because Fifty often wandered, Chris had installed a GPS device. "He's a wanderer, but he always comes home." Moreover, the collar entailed a little note about the cat’s personality and included a contact number in case he was lost. "I like people, I like to beg for food, but no need to feed me. Call this number if I'm bothering you,” the collar read. Tracking the GPS, Chris drove to the station across from a Harris Teeter supermarket, where the collar last pinged. Later, he found the GPS, and a neighbor called to inform him about the collar. The thieves had pulled it off and thrown it away.
He said, "If I had realized they just wanted some money, I would have given it to them. They removed the GPS and took the collar off just out of spite." He tried to contact the thieves, but there was no response until he caught hold of a name—Bobby. A message claimed the cat had been left at the gas station, adding that the attendant was playing with him after the call. "I took my friend home after he called you from my phone. He didn't mess with the cat we just left,” was their final text message to the cat owner. Chris informed the police, but it didn’t help. Later, someone texted from "Bobby's" phone saying it had been sold to him for $20. While there’s no trace of Fifty, the family is still waiting for him to return, along with their other tuxedo cat, Fifty Two.