An Amazon delivery driver was captured on video casually taking a cat from a home where he had just delivered a package, claiming he was charmed by the feline.
The doorbell camera footage, recorded on Sunday afternoon, shows the driver in a reflective vest crouching near the front door of a residence in Elland, close to Halifax, West Yorkshire.
As he rises, the driver is seen holding a small, dark-colored cat in his right hand.
The driver then proceeds to walk back to his vehicle, eventually moving out of the camera’s view.
Since the incident, the cherished pet, named Nora, has not been seen, leaving her family heartbroken by her sudden absence.
Carl Crowther, Nora’s owner, expressed his “total shock and disbelief” upon realizing Nora was missing and reviewing the footage from his doorbell camera.
He had been expecting a package from Zara for his daughter on Sunday, January 18.
Mr Crowther has since handed the video over to both Amazon and West Yorkshire Police.
An Amazon driver was caught on camera brazenly scooping up a cat belonging to the house he was delivering a package to after he ‘took a shine’ to the animal
Doorbell footage shows a man wearing a high-vis jacket picking up the cat close to a property in Elland, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Sunday afternoon
The delivery driver made his way back towards his car before disappearing from view. West Yorkshire Police is investigating the matter
Having not seen his cat since the previous day, Mr Crowther decided to check his doorbell camera ‘out of curiosity’.
He said: ‘Low and behold, I saw this delivery man come down the path with the parcel in his hand.
‘He doesn’t get a response at the door as no one was in so he looks for someone safe to put the parcel.
‘He’s then clocked the cat.’
‘It was total shock and disbelief when he picked her up.’
The family are especially concerned for Nora because she has a heart murmur and requires medication.
Mr Crowther had been out on a callout with work at 1.30pm – an hour before the delivery arrived.
Initially when he had not seen his cat all day, Mr Crowther was not worried as she is an outdoor cat and ‘knows her way home.’
But when Nora didn’t turn up the following morning, Carl and his partner, Sarah, 52, began to grow suspicious.
It was only when they checked the doorbell footage that they saw the delivery driver picking up Nora and walking off after delivering the package.
They say they haven’t found Nora since.
Mr Crowther and his family have not seen their cat Nora since the delivery driver picked her up
Mr Crowther added: ‘It’s absolutely disgusting. He was there for over six minutes.
‘He comes right up the door, picks up the cat, turns around and walks off.
‘I got on to 101 first and I had a video call at 13:30 and they said they’d get back in touch within 48 hours.
‘In the meantime, I spoke to Amazon and told them what happened.
‘I’ve been emailing them and their response was disgusting, asking what monetary value we’d put on the cat.
‘How can you put a value on somebody’s pet?’
Amazon said it was looking into the incident and had been in direct contact with Mr Crowther and the police.
It is understood the driver was not employed directly by Amazon but a subsidiary.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: ‘Police received a report of a cat being stolen from outside a property on Park Avenue, Elland at around 2.30pm on Monday, January 19. A crime of theft has been recorded and enquiries remain ongoing.’
A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed the company is investigating the incident and have been in touch with police.
