A popular trick-or-treating destination is down one attraction after a giant inflatable cat went missing from a Crescents area home over the weekend.
It was among the dozen inflatable figures Val Reeves has had on display on the front lawn of her house at 2179 Laurier Crescent because she gets into the spirit of both Halloween and because they've been popular with the kids who attend her daycare.
"It's all for fun and the part where I'm sad is they've taken away other children's fun," Reeves said.
When inflated, it stands 26 feet tall from the ground to the tip of its tail, its head rotates back and forth, and "its got this kind of evil looking smile on it," Reeves said.
The figures have made Reeves' home a draw both on Halloween night and during Christmas when she also goes above and beyond with the decorations and figurines.
It had been deflated when it went missing sometime between 10 p.m. on Saturday night and 9 a.m. Sunday morning and Reeves said one of her neighbours heard some noise around 4 a.m.
"They were very tidy and meticulous in how they moved it because there was 12 stakes staking it to the ground and some of the other decorations were tied to the same stake and they were untied and left," Reeves said. "So they only wanted the cat."
Reeves said it was the first such incident in the three or four years since she began deflating the figures at night with the help of a remote control she purchased.
"I've had inflatables for many years and I've had them jumped on and stabbed and that's why I bought the remote, because it only happened at night," Reeves said.
She's been able to run all of the inflatables on one plug in, "so it's not like I'm doing this at the expense of Hydro, or not as much as people would think."
Reeves has reported the theft to police but is willing to drop the charges if the item is returned.
"All I'm trying to do is get it back," she said.
Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass is asking the public to keep an eye out for an item that will be hard to miss if it's ever put to use elsewhere in Prince George.
