“I don’t ever usually leave an animal in the car, but I thought he was perfectly safe,” said Heffernan, explaining that she had just taken Dundee to the veterinarian and she left him in her truck because it was too cold to bring him out, and she knew she could run her errand fast. She locked the doors.
“This can’t really be happening,” Heffernan thought to herself, as she stood in a Tractor Supply store parking lot in Paradise, Calif., on Feb. 28.
While she was concerned about losing her 2000 Ford F-250, she was far more worried about Dundee — an 8-year-old Siamese whom Heffernan rescued off the streets in 2018. He was in a carrier in the passenger seat.
Heffernan immediately ran back into the store and called the police. Although Tractor Supply did not have video footage of the theft, the store next door did. It showed a gray vehicle dropping off a person near her truck. A figure then entered her truck, Heffernan said, and both vehicles drove off around 12:25 p.m.
While police began their search, Heffernan, 70, posted a desperate plea on Facebook, in the hope that someone might spot the stolen truck — or, better yet, Dundee.
Two of Heffernan’s neighbors, CC Curtis and her partner, Tara, were among the first to see the post.
“We hopped in the car as if we were the rescue squad,” said Curtis, who lives near Heffernan in Yankee Hill, a small community about 17 miles from Paradise. “We start driving to Paradise looking for the crate or the truck.”
They picked up Heffernan at the store, and a group of about a half-dozen neighbors spent from 1 p.m. to around 3 a.m. searching the streets for Dundee, who has a thyroid condition and needs daily medication. They also contacted Pamela Bezley, another neighbor who runs a cat rescue group, and she began searching, too.
News of the stolen cat spread rapidly on social media, with people posting in several Facebook groups to be on the lookout for Dundee. Many strangers joined the search.
“People just came out in droves,” Curtis said.
Heffernan said she received hundreds of messages with words of support and potential leads, and people pushed to get the story covered by local news outlets.
“The offers that were coming in from strangers were just incredible,” said Heffernan, noting that people pitched in reward money for Dundee’s safe return. One man pledged $1,000, but Heffernan capped the total at $500 to prevent the thief from holding out for more money.
The day after the truck disappeared, police found it in Chico, about 15 miles from where it was stolen. Dundee was nowhere in sight.
The truck was stripped and was missing the ignition and catalytic converter. The locks were damaged, and the dashboard was pulled out. The thieves placed Dundee’s medication, which was on the floorboard in front of the crate, in the glove box.
Heffernan was relieved her truck was recovered but deeply upset Dundee wasn’t there.
“The only thing we really wanted to concentrate on was getting Dundee back,” she said.
Heffernan and Dundee had already been through a lot together. Heffernan took him in as a stray a few weeks before the Camp Fire — the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.
Heffernan’s 190-acre property was ravaged in the fire, which destroyed her home, her barn and her family’s timber. While one of her cats died in the fire, she was able to rescue her three other cats, a horse, a goat, two alpacas and two dogs.
“In our community, we’ve been through so many disasters,” Heffernan said. “The community is just incredible how they turn out when things happen.”
Heffernan and dozens of volunteers carried on the search for four days, while a blizzard warning had been announced. Heffernan grew increasingly concerned as the weather worsened.
“Everyone should keep an eye out for this cat on the loose in their neighborhoods too, because they could let him out of the carrier anywhere,” one person commented on a post in the Butte County Fires, Accidents, Crimes (BCFAC) Facebook group.
“Please surrender this kitty. The storm coming will be detrimental to the poor cat,” another person wrote. “Just find a safe quiet place then let someone know where it is. PLEASE.”
Heffernan was distraught — and so was her dog, Cracker Jack.
“He went through a depression during those four days of missing his buddy. His best friend is Dundee,” said Heffernan, who noted that she named her cat after Dundee marmalade jars, a nostalgic item from her childhood.
“It was just agonizing and horrible,” she said.
Finally, someone called and said they had Dundee. Heffernan promised to keep their identity secret and vowed to take a no-questions-asked approach. Heffernan — along with Curtis and Bezley, who runs Concow Feline Rescue — met the person at an apartment complex in Chico. They gave the person the $500 reward, plus an extra $100, and took Dundee home. Heffernan said she does not know whether the person was responsible for stealing the truck and believes they saw the torrent of posts on social media about the reward.
“I know how lucky it is that we got him back,” said Heffernan, who credits the community support online and around the area for getting Dundee home.
Dundee seemed overjoyed to be back.
“That cat just started purring,” Curtis said. “It was the most magical moment.”
“The prayers were answered,” said Heffernan, adding that she feels especially fortunate for the outpouring of support from strangers near and far.
It’s been just over a week since Dundee was returned, and he’s finally settling in at home. He lost a pound during the time he was taken.
Cracker Jack is happy to have his playmate home.
“My dog immediately got out of depression,” Heffernan said.
Heffernan said she can finally rest now that Dundee is back where he belongs.
“That was probably the longest four days I have ever experienced,” she said.
