So when one goes missing, New Yorkers get upset.

“The incident happened at 7:19 a.m. Friday,” Anik Ahmed said. “She went outside at like 7:20, and the guy picked her up at like 7:23. And we noticed the cat was missing by 7:35.”

Mr. Ahmed, 27, was referring to Lexi, the year-and-a-half-old tabby who has been a fixture at 71 Fresh Deli and Grocery, his store in Kips Bay, Manhattan. Surveillance video appears to show the cat vanishing when a man passes by.

“This was my first pet,” he said. “That’s more heartbreaking than anything.”

She was “the neighborhood’s cat,” one worker told NY1. The Daily News described how “bereft” workers were searching for “the furry darling.”

Pets disappear with some regularity in the city (though for most, there’s no video evidence). Last year, 344 cats, 472 dogs, 14 kittens, 14 puppies, four birds and one reptile were reported missing, according to Animal Care Centers of N.Y.C.

Fliers with Lexi’s picture are being distributed. Mr. Ahmed said he thought the catnapping was intentional, but added, “I’m not going to press charges.”