Stolen Van Full Of Cats Found In Napa, Police Say

NAPA, CA — A van with 10 cats inside that was stolen Sunday night in Napa was found and the felines appeared to be fine, the Napa Police Department said in an update.

An alert citizen called the Napa Police Department shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday to report the van was parked in the 100 block of Harrison Avenue in a neighborhood across town from where it was taken, police said.

"The van was checked and all the cats were inside and accounted for," police said. "They all appear to be fine."

The white Ford Transit van belongs to Whiskers, Tails and Ferals, and 10 feral cats were in the back waiting to be taken to a spay and neutering appointment, the North Bay animal rescue group wrote on Facebook.

The van was stolen Sunday night from a neighborhood near Lincoln Avenue and California Boulevard, Napa police said.

Video footage showed a person on a bicycle hotwiring the van around 11 p.m. in front of a residence near California Boulevard in Central Napa, according to Margo Cassidy, who heads up the group.

There were 30 humane traps also stored in the van, as the group traps and releases cats in Napa County. The van is used to transport kitties and dogs from shelters to volunteers' homes and drive to low-cost spay and neuter clinics. The group also drives cats to adoption events.

There have been no arrests in connection with the theft of the van as of Friday and the incident remained under investigation, Napa police Sgt. Garrett Smith told Patch.

"Thank you to everyone who has been helping keep an eye out," Napa police said in a Facebook post. "We are so grateful for this outcome."