A cat which was reported to have been stolen by an Amazon driver has been safely returned to its owner. 

Carl Crowther, 53, issued an appeal for his beloved pet Nora after capturing footage of the man scooping her up while delivering a package to the house in Elland, near Halifax, on Sunday afternoon.  

Footage, captured on Mr Crowther’s Ring Doorbell, shows a man wearing a high-vis jacket bending down close to the front door of the property at about 2.30pm. 

As he stands up, a small dark-coloured cat can be seen in his right hand. The delivery driver then makes his way back towards his car before disappearing from view.

Mr Crowther said he was left in ‘total shock and disbelief’ when he discovered Nora missing and reviewed footage taken by his doorbell camera, adding the family were especially concerned for Nora’s welfare as she is ill and requires medication. 

But luckily, the family were reunited with Nora on Wednesday, with Mr Crowther adding she did ‘not seem phased’ by her recent hiatus. 

Mr Crowther said his family were ‘over the moon’ with Nora’s safe return and thanked people for their support. They remained tight lipped on how they got their cat back – but said it was thanks to the extensive appeal.

An Amazon driver was caught on camera brazenly scooping up a cat belonging to the house he was delivering a package to after he seemingly ‘took a shine’ to the animal

Doorbell footage shows a man wearing a high-vis jacket picking up the cat close to a property in Elland, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Sunday afternoon

The delivery driver made his way back towards his car before disappearing from view. West Yorkshire Police is investigating the matter

Carl, a maintenance man, from Elland, West Yorks., said: ‘We are delighted, and very much relieved, that Nora is now back home.

‘She does not seem phased by the events of the past few days and is happily enjoying the extra treats and cuddles.

‘We would like to thank everyone who has liked and shared the social media posts and news articles, we really didn’t expect it to reach so far and wide. Everyone’s kind comments have been appreciated.

‘We are now leaving further investigation into the incident to the police but thank them, along with representatives from Amazon and Zara for their help in getting Nora home safely.’

Mr Crowther had been expecting a package from Zara for his daughter on Sunday, January 18, when Nora went missing. He had been out on a callout with work at 1.30pm – an hour before the delivery arrived.

Initially when he had not seen his cat all day, Mr Crowther was not worried as she is an outdoor cat and ‘knows her way home’.

But when Nora didn’t turn up the following morning, Carl and his partner, Sarah, 52, began to grow suspicious.

It was only when they checked the doorbell footage that they saw the delivery driver picking up Nora and walking off after delivering the package.

Mr Crowther and his family were very worried after their cat Nora was seen being picked up and taken by the delivery driver

He said: ‘Low and behold, I saw this delivery man come down the path with the parcel in his hand.

‘He doesn’t get a response at the door as no one was in so he looks for someone safe to put the parcel. He’s then clocked the cat.

‘It was total shock and disbelief when he picked her up.’

Mr Crowther added: ‘It’s absolutely disgusting. He was there for over six minutes. He comes right up the door, picks up the cat, turns around and walks off.

‘I got on to 101 first and I had a video call at 13.30 and they said they’d get back in touch within 48 hours. In the meantime, I spoke to Amazon and told them what happened.’

In an update this morning, West Yorkshire Police said: ‘Police received a report of a cat being stolen from outside a property on Park Avenue, Elland at around 2.30pm on Monday 19 January. 

‘The cat has since been located and returned to its owner. A crime of theft has been recorded and inquiries remain ongoing.’

Amazon said it was looking into the incident and had been in direct contact with Mr Crowther and the police. It is understood the driver was not employed directly by Amazon but a subsidiary. 

A spokesperson for Amazon previously confirmed the company is investigating the incident and have been in touch with police too.