Shoes, socks, complete washing traces, and even narcotics go lacking from streets round Aotearoa every day. The culprits behind these larcenies are some furry little mercenaries – cats!
Cats are sometimes described as pure kleptomaniacs who like to prey on innocent home goods. As a feline proprietor, you’ve possible discovered quite a few issues piled up by these sneaky thieves underneath beds, sofas, fridges, and anyplace your arms can’t simply attain.
Things are annoying however tolerable up till these pilferers keep confined to your own home. But what occurs once they broaden their horizons? Chaos certainly.
Here are 5 Kleptomaniac cats which have gained fame for his or her robberies round their neighbourhoods.
Rocket, the Crocs lover
The 2-year-old cream-coloured cat, Rocket, is an excellent fan of Crocs. But he’s not so choosy. A $50 Puma scuff slipper would additionally do the trick.
Rocket is a famend shoe thief within the Lower Hutt suburb of Wainuiomata. His proprietor, Carolyn Perry, stated the feline had nabbed greater than 30 footwear up to now and every time he shamelessly deposited them on her entrance doorstep.
Initially, Perry stated, she couldn’t consider her comparatively small cat was capable of carry some dimension 12 sneakers he had apparently pulled home. She thought somebody was taking part in a prank on her.
However, small chew marks left on the toes of the footwear revealed the kleptomaniac feline was certainly the perpetrator.
As Rocket had no plans of beginning contemporary by letting go of his felony life, Perry began a Facebook web page, Rocket the Cat Burglar, in an try to return the footwear to their house owners.
The web page now has greater than 700 followers and, thankfully, her neighbours have been good sports activities about Rocket’s thieving methods.
“Everyone’s joking about, saying how hilarious it is, and I’m thinking, yeah, it isn’t super funny if you’re looking for that one bloody shoe you can’t find!” Perry stated.
Lenny, the furry bandit
Although his methods are misguided, Lenny is a well-organised kleptomaniac who’s very explicit about hitting his every day goal – bringing home six miscellaneous gadgets from round his suburb per day.
According to house owners, Kohimarama locals Dave Butler and Dee-Anna Priday, Lenny’s crime spree started in early 2021, and he’s been dwelling a felony life ever since.
“Lenny loves to visit our neighbours, but unfortunately he also loves to bring home souvenirs,” Priday stated.
His accomplishments included socks, clear underwear, a pair of boy’s trackpants, a new child child’s singlet, bread, a not too long ago expired WoF and a dimension 11 soccer boot that Lenny was pressured to desert midway because of its dimension.
For Butler and Priday, essentially the most spectacular ones are, nevertheless, the non-wearable ill-gotten positive aspects that Lenny has introduced home.
“Our favourite gift from Lenny has got to be a note to a student to go and see the principal.
“How they must have got in trouble! Imagine: the dog didn’t eat my homework, the cat nicked it,” Butler stated.
Indi, the gardening glove admirer
When Indi’s on her prowl, the entire neighbourhood of Stoke in Nelson will get busy hiding their socks and backyard gloves.
Indi has been sneaking stuff home since she was one and half years old. “Her stash is a bit out of control,” her proprietor, Cerelia Howarth stated.
Nelson cat’s kleptomania downside.
According to Howarth, Indi went on to the fallacious aspect of the tracks when she moved to a brand new place to be along with her associate. In their earlier home, Indi had by no means stolen a factor. Gardening gloves began showing out of nowhere at their new home.
“That’s definitely her favourite things; socks and gloves,” Howarth stated.
Howarth has tried quite a few methods to make her kitty surrender felony life, however, nothing has labored. She repeatedly posts on the Facebook web page, Nelson Community Group, to seek out the house owners of Indi’s stolen gadgets.
Despite the thieving, Howarth loves Indi and is a registered breeder of ragdoll cats, specialising in Blue Point and Lilac Ragdolls. Her business, The Meow Meow Crew, might be discovered on Facebook and Instagram.
Snow and Gary, the gang of thieves
The rumours have it that there’s a harmful “cat gang” in Tauranga.
Gary, who has been a recidivist thief for many of his 14 years, and Snow, who has been a kleptomaniac for seven years, are suspected to be accomplices of their crimes in opposition to the neighbours of Bureta Road.
Similarities in each these felines’ misdemeanours have led their house owners to consider they’ve ganged up.
Both the cats lived close to one another for years, though Gary had now moved away to a neighbouring suburb along with his household.
Snow and Gary each love stealing footwear – largely socks and footwear – which had led Snow’s proprietor Candice Purcell to consider that these two might have been prowling the world collectively at night time as a gang.
“Snow used to steal from the neighbours, breaking in through the top floor windows.” she stated. “Now she goes further afield. I think she used to head down to the road where Gary lived too.”
Troubled by her cats’ antics, Gary’s proprietor, Marcia Martin has arrange a Facebook web page known as Gary’s Antics with a view to return gadgets to the rightful house owners. The web page has greater than 400 followers.
Keith, the narcotic thief
Keith was already a petty thief. But his worldwide fame got here after his stealthy paws introduced home a bong and a ziplock bag of white powder.
The notorious 5-year-old black cat often roams his quiet road in Christchurch suburb, Hoon Hay, within the small hours of the morning.
In the previous Keith the thief has terrorised his neighbourhood, stealing work boots, instruments and even a Corrections officer’s shirt. Now he is bringing home medication. (Video first revealed April 2021)
His thieving eyes don’t miss something. From a Corrections officer’s shirt, women swimsuits, whole washing traces with pegs connected, the native tradie’s steel-toed boots, bras, footwear to dwell eels, Keith the kleptomaniac has pinched all the things.
Although they have been used to their feline’s crimes, house owners Ginny and David Rumbold have been horrified when he introduced within the narcotics.
A horrified Ginny instantly disposed of the paraphernalia that might incriminate the pilfering pussy, and robust phrases ensued in regards to the risks of a druggie way of life. Soon after, Keith the thief had no disgrace in leaving kinky black lace knickers on the again fence.
Like any guardian of a difficult teen, Ginny and David have been making an attempt to maintain Keith on the straight and slender – nevertheless it has proved to be of no use.
Keith’s thieving antics haven’t gone unnoticed by the boys in blue, a police spokesperson confirming the pilfering rascal has been on their radar for a while.
“We’ve been playing a bit of cat and mouse with this prolific offender.
“Of particular concern is Keith’s latest find – an implement used to smoke cannabis. We’ll be seizing the implement and speaking to Keith about where he’s acquired it from,” police stated on the time.