Owner's beloved cat 'killed by coyotes' after pet sitter lost her within five minutes of arriving

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:49, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 06:50, 30 May 2026 A San Diego cat owner is mourning her beloved pet who she fears was eaten by coyotes after a careless sitter allegedly left her front door open. Anna Coombs is heartbroken by the loss of her 12-year-old black-and-white tuxedo cat Blair. Coombs said she hired a pet sitter to watch her four-legged friend at her University City home while she and her husband left town. But no sooner had they left, she claims the sitter got in touch to inform her that her normally indoor cat had wandered outside within five minutes of her arriving. 'She left the door open while she was bringing her stuff in. She saw our cat go outside,' Coombs said. 'Blair's never gone outside and willingly come back in. And then [the sitter] just assumed that Blair was an outdoor cat, so she just left the door open all night. I'm so mad at this person. 'This has been, like, the most devastating week and day of our lives, and there's so much I want to say about Blair.' Coombs said the next few days were filled with anxiety as they prayed for Blair's return.  Anna Coombs tearfully mourned her 12-year-old black-and-white tuxedo cat Blair who she believes was killed by coyotes after a pet sitter allegedly let her out the front door She claimed the sitter had even negotiated a higher price due to her experience pet sitting.  'She texted us a day, a full day after it happened basically saying, like, "Hey, I feel at peace about this. I just know your cat will come back." She didn't ask, "Is this normal?" She just assumed,' she fumed in a TikTok video. But her anguish soon turned to full-on despair and just a day later, Coombs shared the news that Blair had been found dead. She explained that a specialized animal recovery team used a thermal drone and scent-tracking dogs before a hound found what they believed to be Blair's remains.  The drone also picked up two coyotes running through the local trails.  'They were an incredible team, and they were so nice, and they handled everything with so much care. But I didn't want to accept it,' Coombs said.  'They said there's always the possibility of the probability being wrong, so there's always a hope. But I think we know in our heart that she's gone.' Coombs said she has had Blair for the cat's whole life and the two have moved to various cities together. Coombs said the sitter told her she managed to lose the cat within five minutes of arriving at her University City home Coombs enlisted expert help to locate Blair and searchers believe they found her remains as well as evidence of coyotes  'She moved with me to college, and she moved with me to Austin. She moved with me to New York, and she moved with me here to San Diego,' Coombs said.   'She was literally in the passenger seat of my car when my husband and I kissed for the first time right outside of it. 'She's literally been in my life for every major milestone. My kids were supposed to meet her. I know it's just a cat, but Blair was truly my family. 'I don't want to say anything more about the sitter. But Blair was truly such a special cat, and she was my soul cat. And I'm just so, so sad that this was her ending. 'I just hope that she knows how much I loved her and how much she truly brought to our lives.' Now, Coombs is urging other pet owners to be overly cautious about their beloved pets.  'They know them very well, and I'm just warning anyone in our area, please, please keep your pets safe,' she said.  'Please, please find pet sitters that you fully, fully trust. And over, over, over communicate to them what needs to be said.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.