California family and Amazon driver clash over who owns cat seen in viral doorbell footage

An Amazon delivery driver who was caught on camera taking a California family’s cat is now claiming the animal was actually his missing pet.

Joshua Gonzalez, the driver involved in the dispute, said he recognized the cat while delivering a package to Brenda Wilson’s Bakersfield home and believed it was the pet he had lost.

“I recognized it was my cat because of its distinct forehead design, the eyes, and how the body was set,” Gonzalez told KGET-TV. 

“I knew it was my cat. So I just grabbed him and walked off.”

The controversy began after doorbell camera footage appeared to show Gonzalez arriving at Wilson’s home, dropping off a package, then picking up her cat Junie and leaving with the animal.

Wilson said she had owned Junie for years and reported the incident to authorities. 

The Kern County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation, describing the case as an alleged “theft of a cat.”

Gonzalez, however, disputes that claim and says Junie was actually his own cat. He showed paperwork from Wasco Animal Control that he says proves he adopted a gray domestic shorthair cat in October 2025 for his 7-year-old daughter.

The documents reportedly identify a gray domestic shorthair cat but do not include a photograph, name, sex or specific markings that would independently confirm the animal’s identity.

Gonzalez said he later provided the records to his employer after questions about the incident surfaced.

“My manager calls me. Says to come pick up my check before Monday or Tuesday and that I was being terminated,” he told KGET.

Amazon confirmed that Gonzalez worked for an independent contractor delivering packages on the company’s behalf and said he is no longer permitted to deliver Amazon packages.

“We’ve been in contact with the driver’s employer and the driver is no longer allowed to deliver Amazon packages,” Amazon said in a statement, adding that the company would continue cooperating with law enforcement.

Wilson continues to maintain that Junie belongs to her family. 

She told KGET that Gonzalez previously lived in her neighborhood and that her family has had the cat for years.

Although Gonzalez acknowledged the doorbell footage “does not look good,” he maintained that he believed he was simply bringing his pet back home.

“I didn’t do anything bad, but get my cat back,” he said. “And it’s now in the rightful home.”

The investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal charges have been filed.