Stolen Bengal cat found in Brush Prairie, returned

Police reunited Falke the Bengal cat with his owner Wednesday night after the stolen kitty was found in Brush Prairie.

Falke was in front of his Portland home, in the 7500 block of Southwest 49th Avenue, when he was nabbed on Oct. 21, according to the Portland Police Bureau. A witness reported seeing a blue tow truck stop at the home and a passenger from the tow truck take the cat.

A picture of the truck was circulated on social media, and a tip from the public brought police to a home in Brush Prairie, where someone knew the person who took the cat, Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson said. The person who had Falke was contacted by phone and decided to bring the animal to a nearby gas station, Simpson said.

Assisted by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Portland police retrieved Falke and returned the cat to his owner, who was thrilled, police said.

Falke was in good health when he was found. Although theft of a companion animal is a class C felony in Oregon, no arrests will be made in this case, police said. Simpson said there was not enough evidence to show that the person who took the cat realized Falke already had an owner.

Falke preferred to ride on the dashboard of the detective’s car on his way home, according to police.

“The Portland Police Bureau does not really have a full-time pet detective, but we do investigate reports of animal theft from time to time,” the bureau said in a news release.