There is a prolific cat burglar on the loose in Mairangi Bay in Auckland, New Zealand, stealing underwear from people’s gardens.
The cat, cleverly named Leonardo De Pinchy, has developed a habit of stealing underwear. It swipes them off the drying lines and returns them home as a gift to its owners. It has returned with silky panties, workmen’s socks, and more.
However, the naughty cat has stolen a few things worth quite a penny, too. The AP reported that Leo has even returned with a cashmere sweater worth almost $200 and a five-foot stuffed snake. The cat has taste and is amassing quite the haul.
“My daughter was at home sick and she rang me at work saying, ’It’s bad, it’s bad, this is the worst thing he’s brought in, it’s really bad,” said Leo’s owner, Helen North, to AP. “Because it was beautiful. I was like, ‘Ooh, can I keep that?’ But I couldn’t.”
One day, the cat had stolen a total of nine items from locals.
Good Natured Neighbors
Rather than get mad at the cat stealing their underwear, Leo has become quite the celebrity. “All of our neighbors think he’s amazing,” she told the outlet. “Some of them are quite put out that he hasn’t actually stolen anything of theirs.”
In an attempt to return the underwear stolen by the light-fingered cat, she has set up a Facebook and WhatsApp. Anyone can join and see if the daily uploads of the cat’s haul belong to them. At the moment, it seems like the only way to combat the cat’s stealing obsession.
They’ve tried everything from keeping him inside to hiding things around their own house for the cat to steal. But, it’s simply not interested. “He only wants stuff that he shouldn’t have,” the owner explained. It’s the thrill of the theft that gets that moggy purring. Who knew that kleptomania could exist in cats?
But, although funny, it is a little exhausting for the family. They say that, at 15 months old, it’s kind of cute, but if it carries on this way for 15 years, it’s going to become a problem.