Bay Area woman hires pet detective to get cat back

VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- How far would you go to find your missing cat? One Bay Area pet owner's search took her all the way to Omaha, Nebraska.

"I don't really like cats. I've never been super into cats," Riley McDermid said.

By no means does McDermid consider herself a cat lover, except when it comes to Sheba.

"She catches lots of mice, and she's just a laid back, wonderful cat," McDermid said.

So when Sheba went missing last September, McDermid was determined to find her. She suspected Sheba was taken by family members of her deceased neighbor while they were hauling his belongings back to the Midwest.

"She's such a friendly cat, did she jump into the back of the truck? Or maybe they took her because she's such a nice cat," McDermid said.

McDermid tracked them to Omaha, Nebraska, 1,600 miles away. She contacted them on social media and by text messages. She offered them a reward, but there was no response.

There was only one thing left to do. Call in a pet detective.

Private investigator Mona Kay said, "I was eager to do it right away."

Kay went to the suspected person's home in Omaha. The woman, who refused to speak with us, claimed Sheba was her father's cat. Then turned it over after seeing proof it was not.

"She was completely shocked when I pulled that picture out of Sheba," Kay said.

After an 18-day ordeal, Sheba was flown back to Vallejo.

"I just felt like once I knew where she was I couldn't just leave her there," McDermid said.

But McDermid still claims she is not a cat lover.