EATONTOWN, NJ — A woman stole a kitten from the Monmouth County SPCA headquarters in Eatontown in late August, according to the agency.
It is believed she entered the shelter with a man, and stuffed the 11-week-old kitten into her purse, a large handbag, before the couple walked out, said a spokeswoman for the agency. She said the agency reviewed the many video cameras installed at the shelter.
The kitten, named Queso, has since been recovered safely. The animal was stolen in late August, but they did not give an exact date.
"When staff at the MCSPCA noticed the door of a kitten cage ajar one afternoon in late August, they ascertained that one kitten inside was missing," the SPCA wrote on their Facebook page Thursday night. "They immediately conducted a search ... a thorough exploration of the building yielded nothing."
"After speaking with adoption counselors working that day, they employed the use of MCSPCA security systems & sure enough, our Humane Law Enforcement Officers observed a couple acting suspiciously enough to call the Eatontown police in to investigate."
Eatontown Police were called to the shelter to investigate that day, said Barbara Lovell, the development director at the Monmouth SPCA.
"After viewing surveillance video and through other security measures we have in place, we ascertained that this woman most likely stole Queso by putting her into a large purse," she said.
The woman's name has not yet been released by Eatontown Police, nor have they released the charges filed against her.
However, the woman is currently on parole on former charges of theft and for kidnapping, according to the SPCA.
The SPCA said she is from Keansburg and will be charged with one count of theft. They said the kitten was found with the woman when she was located by police, and the animal was unharmed.
There are more than 200 kittens currently up for adoption at the Monmouth County SPCA.
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