(NECN: Kathryn Sotnik) - A Massachusetts animal shelter needs your help tracking down a kitten that was stolen.
Sunshine is a weeks-old black kitten. She disappeared from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem on Tuesday.
Staffers say they're extra concerned, because the kitten suffers from an intestinal medical condition, and without medicine, could be in great danger.
The shelter believes she was stolen between 3 and 6 p.m. Tuesday. She was removed from her cage in a room with many other kittens up for adoption.
"The last known walk-through was around 4 p.m. It was shortly after 4:30 the kennel came out to us and noticed the kitten was missing," said staffer Jean Jackson.
The building has no working cameras, so the thief was unfortunately not caught on video surveillance.
The shelter is located not too far from downtown Salem, which is preparing for Halloween.
"It could be a number of reasons," said Jackson of why the kitten was taken. "But the primary thing, you know, it's a living thing, it was an animal in our care."
The shelter asks for anyone who may know someone who suddenly has a new black kitten, matching Sunshine's photo, to "encourage them to return her".
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"Just call us," said Jackson. "We want our kitten back. For whatever reason - we're not interested in that. We're interested in our kitten."
The Salem Police Department says they've taken a police report, and Jackson says they've alerted local veterinarians in case Sunshine is brought in for treatment.
Northeast Animal Shelter is located at 347 Highland Ave in Salem, Mass.
