The claws are out in a Brooklyn cat-napping case.
A borough woman who allegedly stole a beloved cat from a bodega was arraigned on petty larceny charges – and then furiously insisted Wednesday she was an “animal lover” who was unfairly arrested.
“I’m going to sue them for accusing me of stealing,” Mary Sierra told The Post after being released without bail.
Eight Street Mini Market owner Imad Innab is reunited with his stolen cat, “Jabal,” on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Park Slope, NYC. Paul Martinka for NY Post
Store owner Imad Innab, 60, whose kitten Jabal was stolen from the 8th St Mini Mart bodega on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Obtained by NY Post
Alleged Park Slope bodega catnapper Maria Sierra and her male companion are seen in the Bushwick subway station on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. Paul Martinka for NY Post
“I’m an animal lover. I got three rescue dogs,” she said. “I went to jail yesterday for this s—t. I went to jail! They locked me up, they locked me up for this s—t. I did not steal the f—ing cat.”
The three-month-old kitten was nabbed from 8th St. Mini Mart in Park Slope on Thursday, with surveillance video capturing two people walking away with the cat.
Jabal’s owner, Imad “Jimmy” Innad, scoffed at Sierra’s claims.
“She’s gonna sue who? Sue me or the cat?” he said. “I wish she’d sue the cat too. Go ahead! She stole the cat. She knows it’s stealing.
Neighbors convinced Sierra and her companion to return Jabal despite her initial reluctance to do so, warning her that the kitten was someone’s pet, not a stray cat on the streets. Paul Martinka for NY Post
“Even if she thought it was a stray cat, after they told her no, she should have brought the cat back and said, ‘Sorry, here is your cat,’ end of story. But she took the cat and ran away.”
Despite saying she wasn’t guilty of the charges, Sierra did admit to The Post that she took the cat.
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“That store wasn’t open at 7 a.m. I saw the cat four houses away and picked up the cat and I took him home with me,” she said.
However, neighbors convinced Sierra and her companion to return Jabal despite her initial reluctance to do so, warning her that the kitten was someone’s pet, not a stray cat on the streets.
The beloved bodega cat Jabal was returned to Innab after being stolen from the store. Paul Martinka for NY Post
Sierra eventually decided to return the cat — whether out of compassion or fear of being charged–– but rather than doing so herself, she had her stepson deliver the kitten to the 78th Precinct stationhouse on Tuesday.
Police then took Sierra into custody, and she was arraigned later in the day on charges of petty larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and “companion animal stealing,” according to a criminal complaint.
The last charge is a violation under state Agriculture and Markets Law, which makes it illegal “to remove or cause to be removed” a dog or cat or to take ID tags from the animals.
Innab, 60, said he was just thrilled to have the kitten back — and said he already ordered an ID tag with his name and contact info, and will look to see if the cat is old enough to have a chip implant.
However, Sierra maintains she’s being railroaded.
“It’s embarrassing, because everybody knows I didn’t steal the f—ing cat,” she told The Post.