Airbnb guest takes cat from rental in Sonoma County
A Sonoma County man said his cat, Nubbins, was stolen from a vacationer who was renting an Airbnb in his neighborhood. KTVU’s Tom Vacar digs deeper.
SONOMA, Calif. – A Sonoma County man said he had been fighting for months to get his cat back from Airbnb guests who allegedly stole the feline while he was renting property near his home.
But the story is not so simple as the dispute has opened up a tangle of accusations and counterclaims in the neighborhood.
Troy Farrell, who lives a few doors down from an Airbnb rental, said James Wakefield, a 72-year-old attorney from Southern California, took Nubbins along when the rental checked out.
“Legally, she’s my cat, and they found out about it when they took her to the vet in Long Beach,” Farrell said. “And, the Long Beach vet said, ‘That’s not your cat, that’s Troy’s cat.'”
Farrell said Nubbins was walking around the neighborhood, going from house to house. He said he had proof from Valley of the Moon Veterinary that he had paid for the cat’s care for years.
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Wakefield said he took Nubbins in after the Airbnb owner encouraged his daughter to take the cat. He said he had no intention of returning the cat.
In an ongoing effort to recover Nubbins, Farrell called the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
The sheriff contacted Wakefield who allegedly refused to release the animal saying “no one can establish that the cat is the property of another”. The sheriff’s office also said Wakefield accused the complaining parties of abusing the cat.
“I know there are accusations about someone cutting off his tail. He’s a bobtail cat, just like Takashi, one of his daughters, the twins we have here in my house “, said Farrell.
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Neighbor Terry Muller, one of the last people to see the cat before it disappeared, said Airbnb owner Matthew Knudsen may have told vacationers to take Farrell’s cat in retaliation for the reporting to the city for building permit violations, according to Sonoma News.
“I honestly think it was retaliation because the neighbors reported him to the PRMD (Permit and Resource Management Department) for building permit violations he didn’t have and complaints of constant noise there,” Muller said. “He knows this cat has been there and is loved and cared for.”
Farrell allegedly tried to contact Knudsen several times about Nubbins and the vacationing couple who took her. Knudsen pushed back against Farrell’s efforts and threatened to file a civil harassment lawsuit against Farrell if he continued, according to Sonoma News.
“There are a lot of people who are heartbroken, including me,” Farrell said. “She’s just part of our family.”
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