A smash-and-grab car burglar in San Francisco likely got a prize they didn't want last Monday in the form of a one-year-old tabby cat in a cat-carrier. Now, the cat's parents desperately want her back.

The incident happened in a parking garage on Moulton Street, in Cow Hollow, on December 20. Anaheim-based couple Cesar Granados and Karla Cardoso had driven up to the Bay Area for some Christmastime fun, and they had spend the day in Muir Woods before stopping in Cow Hollow and walking to Ghirardelli Square. As the Chronicle reports, after getting some refreshments and walking back to the car, they found a rear window smashed and the cat carrier gone. The thief or thieves were clearly in a hurry and didn't look at what they were taking — a cat carrier covered in a blanket in the backseat — because they didn't touch some other backpacks and valuables.

Instead, they stole 1-year-old Minnelusa, a tabby cat in a green sweater who has become a constant companion — and, her husband says, like a daughter — to Ms. Cardoso.

Minnelusa has been the couple's travel companion as well, as Granados tells the Chronicle.

"The car was her favorite place because she could have 100% attention from both of us together. She preferred the car [over] the house," Granados says.

And, he adds, "We miss her so much because she brought us so much joy over the pandemic, going through hard times."

Ever since the theft, Granados and Cardoso have scoured Bay Area shelters hoping to find Minnelusa, who is not microchipped and was not wearing a collar. She did, however, have a blue leash strap on — she likes to go on walks.

They also put up missing posters around the Cow Hollow neighborhood and elsewhere, and they are offering a cash reward.

Minnelusa is described as a domestic short-hair cat, tan with dark brown tiger striping. And she's pictured below. Her missing-cat notice has been posted to LostMyKitty.com, and if anyone happens to find her, they're encouraged to call the couple at 310-997-7497 or by email: [email protected].