Maxine the cat is missing.

For about six years, Maxine has spent her days at First Stop, a convenience store in Baltimore County just over the city line on Radecke Avenue. But on April 2, Maxine went missing, said Cecilia Cho, the daughter of the shop’s owners.

Video footage from the store’s security camera shows two women or girls petting Maxine, who is sitting just outside the open door of the shop. At one point in the clip, which is time-stamped at 5:36 p.m., one of the two women stops Maxine from running inside the store, picks the cat up and cradles her like a baby.

The other woman walks into the store and off camera. Cho said she thought it looked like the women hesitated and one of them “almost asked” about the cat before walking off with Maxine.

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Security camera footage shows two women playing with Maxine, a store cat at First Stop in Rosedale, before walking off with her. (Courtesy of First Stop)

“I think it’s more of a mistake. They seem young,” Cho said. “From the footage, it looks like they just thought she was really cute and friendly. I didn’t see them do anything malicious.”

Still, the family is hoping to get Maxine back. They miss her — the routine of having Maxine in the shop is broken, and Cho and her parents miss the cat.

“It’s not the same. We’re concerned for her. She gets scared,” Cho said.

They’ve put up missing posters in the neighborhood and shared information online. The Baltimore County Police Department visited the store the day after Maxine was taken, but are not investigating it as a theft at this time, said Trae Corbin, a public information officer for the department.

Cho said the family hasn’t heard any major updates as of Thursday, April 11 — almost ten full days since Maxine went missing. There were a couple of early leads, but they did not pan out. And some people have made prank phone calls to the number listed on the missing cat poster.

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Maxine is “the most gentle and quiet girl, so friendly. She doesn’t bother anyone. She rarely meows for even her food. She just sits there and stares at you,” Cho said.

Maxine — who was at first named Max, until a veterinarian revealed Max was a girl — has always been gentle and sweet, Cho said. At the store, she likes to hang out behind the counter, where the family is.

“I just want to find her as soon as possible,” Cho said.

Cody Boteler

cody.boteler@thebaltimorebanner.com

Cody Boteler

Cody Boteler is a reporter on The Banner’s Express Desk, reporting on breaking news, trending stories and interesting things in and around Baltimore. His work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, USA TODAY, Baltimore magazine and others.

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