Police refer charges against Vancouver teen in alleged cat theft

Police say they have referred charges against a Vancouver teenager after he allegedly snatched a cat from the porch of home in the Hough neighborhood earlier this month.

The cat, named Jack, was taken at 8:18 p.m. June 5 from the back porch near Columbia and 20th streets, his owner Nora Syverson said in a Facebook post, which included surveillance video of the incident. The video appears to show a boy following Jack to the porch and petting him before picking him up and walking away. Jack was still missing Tuesday.

After speaking with Jack’s owners, police located and interviewed the boy, 14, who matched the description of the person in the video, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. The boy told police that Jack looked friendly, prompting him to pick up the cat and carry him a few blocks before setting him down, Kapp said.

Police referred charges of third-degree theft and second-degree criminal trespass to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review. Cats are considered property under Washington law, Kapp said, referring to the theft charge.

“There isn’t anything else we can do other than refer the charges,” she said.

The incident has caused a stir on social media and led to numerous phone calls and emails to police from those seeking help locating the cat. Jack is described as a large, white domestic shorthair with brown markings.

I Paw’d It Forward, a local nonprofit group, has taken over the search for Jack and created a reward fund for information leading to him being found. The fund had more than $3,200 as of Tuesday evening. The organization can be contacted at pethelp@ipawditforward.org or by calling 833-360-7293.