East Haven police are searching for two suspects who broke into a home and attempted to steal a cat on Sunday afternoon.
Officers responded to a home on Thompson Street around 3:45 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from a resident who reported a home invasion had just taken place.
The victim told police two males tried to get in through a rear slider door and as they attempted keep the suspects out, one kicked through the glass, according to police.
Once inside, the suspects pulled out guns and demanded the resident's "high dollar value" cat, police said.
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The suspects searched the house for the cat for several minutes before a resident fought them off and the pair took off in a blue BMW without ever finding the cat, according to police.
Detectives were able to track the BMW to nearby Hamden, where the vehicle was seized and processed for evidence.
Investigators determined this was not a "random incident," but a targeted attack between people who know each other. They said they are following several leads and the incident remains under investigation.
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Police said they do not know what breed of cat the owners have, or what makes it valuable.
“For the last four years that I’ve been living here, I’ve been complaining because the cops are constantly here,” neighbor Camilo Florentino said.
Florentino lives next door to where Sunday’s armed home invasion occurred.
“Especially after yesterday, now I feel unsafe. When you have a family, and your own life to think about, what are my next steps to make sure that I’m protected, that my family is protected, and that we’re safe?" Florentino said.
East Haven police said they’ve responded to the address of the home invasion quite a bit, but mostly for domestic violence-related calls.
The property manager of the complex said in a statement to NBC Connecticut, “Palmer Property management takes all violations of the condominium very serious, and they are treated with violation notices, hearings, and fines…Although this was a heinous crime, this was a personal issue with the unit owner and nothing to do with the Birches and the safety of the complex.”
Over the last few years, there have been as string of kidnappings of expensive pet breeds. Thieves targeting pure bred dogs and cats can selling them quickly for thousands. The American Kennel Club says reports of dog theft have been increasing by over 20 % per year, since 2021.
According to the AKC, the top five stolen breeds currently are French Bulldog, Yorkshire Terrier, Labrador Retriever, German Shepard and Siberian Husky. The feline website Catser reports Bengal, domestic short hair, Maine coon, ragdoll and Russian blue cats are among the top five breeds that get stolen the most.
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