A homeless man has been reunited with his pet rat Lucy after it was taken by a woman who thought the rodent had been abandoned.
The man — known only as Chris — sparked a city-wide rat hunt on April 6 when social media got wind of his missing friend.
“My pet rat Lucy was stolen on Saturday,” Chris wrote on a sign at Pitt St in the CBD.
“Lucy is black and white with a bit of brown.”
NSW Police took the theft of Lucy seriously, even posting photos of the women they suspected of stealing her.
However, the woman thought she was saving the rat from homelessness and returned her as soon as she realised Chris was the owner.
NSW Police posted a video of the emotional reunion, which shows Chris smooching the lucky rat.
“This feels wonderful,” he said in the video.
“Thank you very much everybody. She knows she’s missed me too aye. She’s very loveable.”