‘Keep Portland Weird’ Coraline cat statue stolen from Portland’s Waterfront Park

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - One of the cat statues in "Coraline's Curious Cat Trail" was found stolen Saturday, according to the Portland Metro Chamber.

According to the group, the nearly six-foot-tall cat statue was stolen from its location at Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Saturday Market between the evening of Friday and the early morning hours of Saturday.

The statue, "Keep Portland Weird," was created and designed by local artist Celeste Potgieter. It is one of 30 sculptures of "Cat" - a character from the Oscar-nominated film "Coraline" - that were placed around downtown Portland in August through a partnership between Hillsboro-based LAIKA animation studios and several Portland-area organizations.

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The sculptures were all painted by local artists, and set to be auctioned off on Oct. 30 with proceeds going to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

Sydney Mead, senior director of downtown programs for Downtown Portland Clean & Safe asked the community to help them find and return the statue.

"While we understand this project has created quite a buzz around our downtown and beyond, each of these unique pieces of art are part of a much larger fundraising effort for OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital," Mead said. "We ask for the safe return of this cat statue so we can continue supporting this important cause. Despite this unfortunate incident, the citizens of Portland have been exceptional caretakers of this art trail. We are grateful for those who continue to support this one-of-a-kind project in our city."

Anyone with information is asked to contact representatives of the Portland Metro Chamber or Downtown Portland Clean & Safe at or .