South Philadelphia couple heartbroken after they say 2 children, woman stole their cat

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A South Philadelphia couple is heartbroken after they say two children and a woman stole their beloved cat.

Andrew Mojica and Dominique Kalpakidou say their cat, Artemis - or Artie - was like the neighborhood cat and spent most of his time outdoors visiting with friends and neighbors.

UPDATE: Artie was found and has been reuinted with his family. Click here for more.

They realized something was wrong Saturday night when they let Artie out and he didn't come home.

"He loves being in and out. He knows where home is. He never leaves our block," Mojica explained.

He and his wife adopted Artie two years ago after he kept popping up at their house.

"We just really miss him a lot, and he's a big part of our family," said Dominique.

Surveillance video from Saturday night shows the juveniles -- one on a bike and the other on foot -- come onto the 1500 block of South Hicks Street in South Philadelphia around 8:15 p.m.

They pet Artie and herd him down the block. Minutes later, they grabbed him.

Kalpakidou quickly realized something was wrong.

"I checked on the AirTag on my phone and noticed that the location said City Hall," she explained.

She checked their Ring video and saw the catnapping. Mojica followed the AirTag and says he confronted a woman driving the two kids.

"She didn't want to hear anything I had to say," he said. "I said, 'You have my cat.' She said, 'We're fine. Thank you.'"

He says they removed Artie's collar and AirTag, dropping it in Hunting Park.

The couple has since been on a mission to find their cat. They filed a police report, but the block is invested in the investigation too.

"He's human. He had a disposition. Everybody loved him. He's actually part of the family," said Charles Simpkins, a neighbor.

Some are doing their own detective work.

"Maybe we can look at the locations. Go around the streets and stuff," Jacob Snarr told the couple, after saying he thinks he may have figured out who owns the car the catnappers drove off in.

Others have helped raise more than $1,000 for a reward for Artie's return. They say they just want their cat back, no questions asked.

"It's been a roller coaster. I'll say that. Every day we're going up there. We're getting more and more leads, and we're going to continue to keep trying," said Mojica.

They're not giving up, and they're looking for more help. Mojica is organizing a search party on Saturday to bring Artie home.