Kamo Pet and Aquarium owners Jane Saunders and Raewyn McLean are gutted after someone took one of three ragdoll kittens.
The unsuspecting feline was nabbed from the safety of her cage. Cockatiels, puppies and the other kittens were the only witnesses to last weekend's crime.
The first Ms Saunders knew of the theft was when a customer told her the door to the cage, just inside the shop door, was open.
"It had just happened because the others were gingerly sneaking out the door," she said.
"I had cleaned out the cage earlier in the morning so I knew the cage was shut."
Mrs Saunders said the shop prided itself on its hands-on environment, where children were free to pat the animals.
But now a padlock ensures there will be no more kitten thefts.
"We spend so much time in the shop after hours and it guts me that someone thinks they can come in and take the animals."
Mrs McLean suspected the robbery was planned and a getaway car was used.
The litter, from a Kerikeri cat breeder, arrived in the shop about 10 days earlier. One had been sold and the remaining three had drawn plenty of interest.
The breeders would be out of pocket as the pet shop sold the kittens on their behalf.
After discovering the kitten was missing, Mrs Saunders drove around nearby streets in search of the ragdoll or any suspicious vehicles. Kamo police have also been informed.
The name "ragdoll" refers to the way the cats relax and go completely limp when picked up.
Cat burglar on prowl in Kamo
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