Elvis, the ‘Hunk of Burning Love’ tabby, became quite a star after somebody stole him from an adoption center in a Petsmart at Hurst, Texas, northeast of Fort Worth. But boy, did they mess with the wrong cat and his rescuers, Buddies Place Cat Rescue.
The cute tabby, age one, arrived at Buddies Place Cat Rescue in February, and his foster mom described him as “a purrfect cat.”
“Elvis is about a year old and a hunk of burnin love. He loves people and loves affection. He loves to be talked to and petted. He gets along with other cats and is always even tempered and so VERY sweet,” the rescue shared.
Image via Facebook/Mid-Cities Community Cats
Thousands Share Story of Missing Elvis
After the strangely bold catnapping, heartbroken rescuers posted on Facebook, generating over 1.2K shares. The rescue offered a $2K reward for their sweet boy’s safe return. Followers donated the reward money for Elvis, whose adoption fee would have been around $100.
According to the post, police reviewed footage of suspects getting the cat out of his cage. It’s unclear and odd why they chose to break in and take the microchipped cat from an adoption center during the daytime.
“Our sweet boy Elvis was stolen yesterday, 5-24-23 between the hours of 11:00-12:00 from the adoption center at Petsmart,” the rescue shared.
Where Elvis was catnapped from a Hurst Petsmart. Image via Facebook/ Buddies Place Cat Rescue
Elvis the Cat Appears on Local News
Along with the viral social media post, the cat appeared on the local NBC DFW news!
Video via Facebook/Debbie McClendon
Friendly Cat Jumps in Rescuer’s Car
Five days later, Elvis turned up unharmed. The rescuers celebrated his return after a woman who cares for feral cats behind a nearby store found him. The store was across the freeway from the Petsmart. When she arrived to feed the cats, the friendly cat spotted her, ran up, and jumped in her car!
“She saw a tabby cat walk from the two old mattresses (pictured below) across to the bushes where the apartments were on the other side of a fence. She stopped her car thinking it was one of her ferals but when she stopped her car and opened her door the cat ran up to her and jumped inside her car! He rubbed up against her, craving attention, and she knew it wasn’t her feral tabby cat. She knew our Elvis was missing and had even shared his pic. She thought, “Could this be Elvis?” She had borrowed a chip reader recently from a friend (who is our foster), and it was still in her car,” Buddies Place shared.
The Rescuer Scanned His Microchip on the Spot
Ameowzingly, this woman scanned the tabby on the spot and then confirmed with her foster friend Debbie that the number was a match! Then, Debbie came and picked up the kitty, and he was on his way to safety.
“She had borrowed my chip reader and we were both on the phone nearly crying when we realized it was him,” wrote Debbie McClendon.
Everyone was thrilled to have a happy and safe return for the stolen cat.
“Our hearts are bursting with happiness that our boy was found unharmed and is back home. Thank you to everyone for over 1000 shares and all the love and prayers for his safe return. All we can say is WHAT A MIRACLE!!!”
You can see more and follow Buddies Place Cat Rescue on Facebook and their website. They help find cats’ homes in Arlington, Fort Worth, and the Hurst area.
Back in the Spotlight
Once Elvis was safe, he appeared again on the news for a furtastic follow-up story. The feral colony caretaker who found him reportedly received the reward. We think she deserves it for helping those feral kitties and Elvis clearly thought she was pretty great too!
Video via Facebook/Debbie McClendon/NBC DFW News
