Sonoma resident says Airbnb visitors stole his cat and took him to Southern California

SONOMA, Calif. (KGO) – For the past 3 months, Troy Farrell has struggled to bring home his cat Nubbins.

“She was my support cat. She was my friend. That’s what I have,” said Sonoma County resident Troy Farrell.

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Nubbins is a neighborhood cat, she has lived in Sonoma in the Railroad Avenue area for years. Troy says she’s the reason they chose the house.

“Every time we went to a window she would run and say ‘I’m here, let me in, let me in. I love you “and we said that was the sign. This is the right house,” Farrell said. .

Several years ago, Troy adopted her. In October, after returning from a trip, she was gone.

“They stole my cat,” Farrell said.

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Neighbors say a couple staying at an Airbnb two houses away from Troy asked about Nubbins while seeing her in the neighborhood.

“They went to Terry and Cathy’s and said ‘what do you know about this cat? We love this cat,'” Farrell said.

According to Troy, he got a call last November from a Long Beach vet confirming he had his cat but couldn’t send it.

The veterinarian at a VCA animal hospital had scanned the Nubbins chip.

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In a statement, the Veterinary Centers of America say they have “legal obligations to the customer who originally brought the cat“and confirmed that they are”fully cooperating with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s investigation.“

“That’s my cat. She said, well, we’re not legally allowed to house cats at this property. So we have to return them to the people who stole her,” Farrell said of her conversations. with the veterinary office.

Now the neighborhood has united to get Nubbins back by filing a report with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

“Really ask our visitors, I hope you enjoy visiting Sonoma County. Please return the cat. We can probably find transportation back to the state. This cat is important to family,” said Sonoma County District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin.

Troy hopes the couple who took Nubbins 500 miles from home will bring her back.

“She means a lot to this neighborhood. A lot,” Farrell said.

Complete VCA statement:

“Our top priority is the health and welfare of the animals in our care. We also recognize and take seriously the role veterinary hospitals can play in helping to reunite lost pets with their owners, while balancing our obligations to respect the confidentiality of our customers.We have legal obligations to the customer who originally brought the cat, the person with whom a veterinarian-client-patient relationship has been established – a relationship that is governed in California by the Medical Board state veterinarian. While we cannot discuss the specifics of this situation, we are fully cooperating with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s investigation.”