A family is asking for the public’s help finding their cat, which they say was stolen from their business in North Long Beach Monday afternoon.

Chula, a friendly calico cat who’s at least three years old, was taken by two people sometime around 2:20 p.m. from Rosales Nursery, said 27-year-old Jacqueline Cano, who helps her parents run the family-owned business.

“I’ve cried every single day that she’s been missing,” Cano said. “To us, she’s more than a cat, she’s family.”

Cano says her parents were working near Chula on Monday when two presumed customers came in. Before they knew it, the two people were leaving in a car with Chula inside, according to Cano.

“My parents didn’t assume she was going to be taken,” Cano said.

After looking at grainy video of the incident, Cano said she called the Long Beach Police Department to file a report and began posting on social media asking for help bringing her home.

The LBPD said a report of the theft was taken, although no suspect information is known at this time. The motive also remains under investigation, LBPD spokesperson Brandon Fahey said.

Chula is a familiar face for people who shop at Rosales Nursery.

“Those who shop around here, … they know who Chula is and they know the story behind her,” Cano said. “There were no signs that she was a stray cat.”

The playful cat randomly showed up three years ago at the nursery, just a few months after it had opened, Cano said. She was pregnant at the time and soon gave birth to her first litter of kittens.

From then on, Rosales Nursery became home to Chula. Cano’s family fed her, groomed her, and took her to the vet for any issues. 

She’d lounge around the nursery most of the day, getting belly rubs and treats until it was time to go home where she would eat dinner alongside Cano’s father.

Anyone with information leading to Chula’s return is asked to contact the Rosales family. Although Chula looks like a lot of other calico cats, she can be distinguished by the broken fang on the right side of her mouth, Cano added.

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