Rare $2,000 cat stolen from LA barbershop in brazen smash and grab
In a bold early‑morning burglary, a trio of masked drivers forced their pickup into a barbershop in South Los Angeles at roughly 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Surveillance footage captured them dragging a frightened Savannah cat named Simba out of the storefront and loading the creature into a tan Toyota pickup.
The shop’s owner, Joe Gomez, learned that his business had been robbed at about 7:30 a.m. when a barber told him what had happened. On the shop’s Instagram page, the post read:
“I had no turkey, I had no ham, I had no appetite,” and added, “They stole our family shop Savannah cat along with all our barber machines and merchandise.”
The caption went on to say, “The burglars’ intentions were to steal the cat. We just want our cat SIMBA back. Material stuff comes and goes.”
Savannah cats are a distinct breed blending domestic cat traits with those of the African serval, and some early‑generation spotted tabbies can fetch up to $20,000. Gomez, who had been saving for over a decade, finally brought Simba into the shop about eighteen months ago. He believes the thieves targeted him specifically because they thought the cat was especially valuable.
“But his value to me is priceless, he is my cat,” Gomez asserted. “I take him on walks around the neighborhood and to Griffith Park. He was my baby.”
The International Cat Association notes that Savannah cats are highly intelligent—they can learn to unlock doors, turn on faucets, and even flush toilets. Simba, according to Gomez, is no exception and can open the latch on his cage. He hopes the cat will escape, find someone who recognises him, and eventually return home.
Gomez has stayed at the shop since the break‑in, determined to guard the rest of the business. He expressed that “this shop is everything to me. It feeds my family.” He also said, “I think these people have no heart. They don’t care about how other people feel. It’s devastating that this happened,” adding that the ordeal made him re‑evaluate his expectations for Thanksgiving.
“It makes me thankful for the clients I have. I didn’t know I was so appreciated in my community. I have 700 shares, and it makes me feel thankful that they are all helping me find him,” he said.
After filing a report with the Sheriff’s Office that day, Gomez hasn’t heard back. He’s meanwhile collaborating with Moses Castillo, a retired detective turned private investigator, who traced the robbers’ license plate and pinpointed a possible address.
“I’m just waiting for a detective to call me so I can give him the information I have,” Gomez said. In the meantime, he’s privately mourning. “I saw a guy with a cover on his car seat and it said ‘cat,’ and I started to tear up. Knowing when you’re missing someone, everything reminds you of them.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the cost of fixing the business and locating the missing cat, with a goal of $4,000. The page has already gathered thirty donations, totaling $1,355.
Gomez posted, “We are heartbroken by this violation of our business and home. The theft of our car, our beloved cat, and the tools we use to serve our clients has left us devastated. We are grateful for the community’s support and ask for help in bringing those responsible to justice.”
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