'Really low act': Homeless man devastated after pet rat stolen
A homeless man in Sydney’s CBD has been left heartbroken after his beloved pet rat was stolen from him over the weekend.
Chris, who has set up his home on Pitt Street, is well-known to passers-by.
Many also came to know Lucy, his four-legged friend who he has had since she was a newborn.
A photo uploaded to Facebook on Tuesday shows Chris looking devastated as he sits next to a sign revealing his loss.
“My pet rat Lucy was stolen on Saturday,” the sign reads.
“Lucy is black and while with a bit of brown.”
Chris, 59, said he had gone to a bathroom across the road when Lucy disappeared.
“I don’t want to press charges against the person who stole Lucy. I just want her back,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“Everyday this week, I’ve been thinking should I have waited a little longer before I went to the bathroom. But I always go to the bathroom and she’s always there when I get back.
“I’m scared that if I leave this place, she’ll come back and I won’t be there.”
Horrified family find limp kitten inside washing machine after cycle
‘How is that even legal?’ Rental ad mocked for bedroom’s glaring flaw
Why this beachgoer is being criticised for picking up unknown creature
The Facebook post had attracted more than 11,000 likes and attracted thousands of comments from concerned viewers at the time of publication.
“He’s such a nice man. We’ve chatted many times over our shared love of rats. I hope someone brings Lucy back, but my hopes are low,” one woman wrote.
“How low can people get? To steal a pet off someone who is homeless, whose pet is probably his most treasured friend and family in his life,” another said.
The woman who posted the photo, Alyson Pearce, said she was “genuinely distressed” to see Chris without Lucy.
“Almost every day since I started my job in the city Chris and his pet rat Lucy have sat in the same spot, Chris chatting to passers-by & Lucy happily munching, sleeping and looking on,” Ms Pearce said.
“They are a feature of Sydney city life and I have always smiled when I see them and felt glad they had each other.
“Taking a homeless person’s loved pet – seriously, what a really low act.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
