Kitten Used In Beltsville Bank Robbery Finds Her Forever Home

BELTSVILLE, MD — The kitten used as a decoy in an attempted bank robbery this summer has been adopted.

On July 13, a man swiped the 3.5-month-old tuxedo kitten named Magnolia from the adoption area of a Prince George's County pet store around 10:30 a.m., then took her along with him while attempting to rob a nearby bank.

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Security camera video footage showed the suspect wearing a light-colored T-shirt and a black beanie walking into the Pet Supplies Plus located on Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville, Patch reported previously.

Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that the man "came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front, and he just went right to her and ran right on out." Seconds later, he can be seen on video running out of the store with the black-and-white kitten in tow.

"The man who took her walked across the parking lot to a nearby PNC Bank branch and tried to use her as an accessory in his attempted robbery. He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash," according to a Facebook post by Beltsville Community Cats.

"Apparently, he went into the bank with the cat in his arms, and he walked up to a bank employee and said, 'Can you hold this?' And then he wrote a note and handed it to a bank teller and it said, essentially, give me all your cash,"Stephanie Stullich with Beltsville Community Cats told WRC. "Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager's office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal," the organization said on Facebook.

Since her rise to fame, Magnolia received 21 adoption applications.

"Once we had Magnolia back safe and sound, her story turned from a potential tragedy into one that entertained millions of people all across the world. Everyone seemed to have a one-liner – from those who claimed that 'Magnolia was the mastermind' behind the attempted robbery to those who responded, 'No, Magnolia is innocent,'" Stullich said.

While they were thrilled with the attention paid to Magnolia and the BCC, organizers were hoping that more people would flock to their organization to consider adopting one of her friends, maybe even make a small donation to support their efforts. But no such luck.

"BCC receives many calls from local residents asking us to take in kittens born in back yards, behind apartment building dumpsters, and in industrial areas. Left outside, most of them wouldn't survive. We also find abandoned cats who clearly want to find their way back to a safe indoor home like they once had. Some are sick, some are injured, some are traumatized. All need and deserve love and care," Stullich said.

In the end, Magnolia was adopted by the couple who was interested in her before her sudden rise to fame.

"Magnolia has retired from her life of crime and instead she spends her days enjoying toys, treats and cuddles," her parents Kaylei and Bryan said.

Anyone interested in volunteering, fostering, helping out the BCC in other ways, including financially, or wanting to see which adorable adoptables are available can check them out online.