No matter how much we wish we could take our pets everywhere with us, sometimes it’s just not possible. Luckily, that’s why pet sitters, pet hotels, and daycares exist. And pet owners really do take advantage of these services, as 61% of cat owners say they’ve used a pet sitter’s services at least once.
This couple reached out to what they thought was a trustworthy sitter, but were shocked when they returned home and their cats were nowhere to be found. Apparently, the sitter decided the cats were being neglected and started shouting it from the rooftops on social media. The owners were stunned and went online to ask for advice on how they could get their pets back.
A couple left for a trip to Italy for a week and hired a cat sitter
Cameron Cox / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
But when they came back home, the cats were nowhere to be found
Shawn Rain / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Look Again Digital / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Priscilla Du Preez / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Mel Elías / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Cat theft is on the rise, but only a small percentage of cats are returned to their owners
Bad experiences with cat sitters are rare, but, as evident from this story, they do happen. It’s not just sitters that pet owners have to worry about, though, as pet theft seems to be on the rise. According to statistics, dogs get stolen more often than cats, but cat theft has been rising in recent years.
Thieves are really eyeing cats lately, as the number of stolen cats has risen by 14.2% between 2024 and 2025. According to data from UK police forces, there were 466 recorded crimes involving cats in 2025, and 507 cases of theft or abduction.
Unfortunately, not all pet owners are as lucky as the owners in this story. Only 15% of the stolen cats were returned to their owners in 2025, and a mere 0.9% of cases led to someone being charged. It’s true that sometimes the police look at cat theft as a civil matter or don’t even take pet owners seriously — a fact that the OP experienced herself.
Microchipping is one way to ensure you get your cat back, but it doesn’t always help either. A microchip is not a GPS device, so it doesn’t show you where your cat is located. The only chance to catch the thief, then, is if they visit a veterinary clinic and they scan the microchip.
Microchips are more effective when cats get lost and end up in shelters. Data shows that 63.5% of microchipped cats are returned to their owners, and only 2% of those without a microchip have a chance of coming back home. Other data shows that one in 50 cats in animal shelters are returned to owners, but when the cat is microchipped, those odds rise to nearly two out of five.
Helena Lopes/ Pexels (not the actual photo)
Trusting a sitter’s vibes is not enough to make them reliable
Stories like these may dissuade people from ever using pet sitter services. Yet, pet sitters aren’t all bad — it’s just that owners have to really do their homework when choosing a sitter. The owners did everything they could in this instance: contacted the police, local shelters and vet clinics. It’s also possible to report the theft to Pet FBI — a non-profit with the largest database of lost and found pets in the U.S.
You may never know whether the sitter you hired is a hoarder and a thief, but taking precautions is always advised. While word-of-mouth cat sitters like friends of friends and family members of acquaintances might sound reliable, it’s always better to book pet sitters through some sort of official service.
Professional sitters with a website, public reviews, and social media presence are also a pretty reliable choice. Even in this story, the owners were possibly able to get their cats back because the “sitter” was associated with a local animal shelter and they did not want the public backlash.
“References from previous clients, a background check, and a traceable identity are reasonable baseline expectations,” the experts at Petme write about choosing a cat sitter. “Trust in a cat sitter is established through a specific process, not instinct.”
“I think she’s crazy and maybe a pet hoarder,” the owner added in the comments
Stockbusters / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Luckily, they were able to get their cats back, but not without drama
magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Many commenters urged the owners to take legal action: “I would go scorched earth if someone took my cats”
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