Caught on video: Beloved bodega cat Boka stolen in broad daylight in Park Slope
NEW YORK - There are cries in Brooklyn to bring a beloved bodega cat back home after it was stolen in broad daylight.
The cat's owners are sharing surveillance video they want you to see.
As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reports, at just two weeks, tiny, adopted Kediboka, also known as Boka, stole the hearts of customers and - of course - the co-owners of Green Olives Deli & Grill in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
"He was so friendly and everything he does was so funny," said co-owner Abdulmajeed Albahri.
Albarhi says videos he posted of Boka on Instagram got hundreds of likes. His bodega cat became Insta-famous.
"People coming to take pictures with the cat, sometimes spending hours with the cat," Albahri said.
"He became part of our routine and part of our family," said Park Slope resident Annie Caltrider. "If we were in a bad mood, we'd come see the cat."
"He's part of the neighborhood. He's a fixture of the neighborhood," said Park Slope resident Jim Ivey.
"Every day, when we come into the store, he was waiting for us at the door," said Jacinto Lidino.
On a rainy day, you might spot him perched in his bed, greeting passersby. But no more. His bed sits empty now, his toys put away. There's no greeting at the start of the day.
"We're all sad because we saw how the guy just take the cat," Lidino said.
Lidino is speaking of a man dressed in khakis, white T-shirt and blue ball cap captured on surveillance video. The video shows him first walking past the deli. Then he glances in. Another angle spots him ogling Boka as he leaves the store. Then, around the corner, he picks him up and just walks off.
"I have to tell him he has to return the cat, and if he really likes cats go and adopt one," Albahri said.
Boka is so beloved by customers that offers to help find him keep pouring in. Instagram account Catluminati shared the cat-napping on social media. A favorite customer showed up with flyers.
"I've known this cat since he was, like, a little baby," said Park Slope resident Abby Strobel. "I've seen him grow up."
Strobel uploaded the post to Reddit.
"I was appalled. It was insane to me that he just came by and scooped him up and left," Strobel said.
Who would do such a thing? If you know the suspect, Boka's extended family hopes you'll come forward so Boka's sweet face can get back to spreading joy in Park Slope, Brooklyn and beyond.
Albahri says he is offering a reward to bring Boka home - the exact amount is undisclosed.
