AP wire via
http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/24/144360-ap.html
'Klepto Cat' raiding Calif. homes
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - A cat burglar's booty is being hoarded in a Ventura County home.
A marauding feline named Midnight - now dubbed Klepto Cat - has been sneaking off in the dark to raid neighbour's homes, garages, sheds and patios, bringing home shoes, hats, shirts, socks and even a wrapped Christmas present.
It's stressful for pet owners Richard and Sue Boyd.
"We get so embarrassed by this," Sue Boyd said. "We wake up in the morning and go out and there's stuff under the truck. The cat leaves things all over. We don't want these things."
"He's a klepto cat," her husband said.
Each day, Midnight's owners leave a bag with the purloined goods hanging from their mailbox so neighbours can reclaim missing items.
It is unclear why Midnight prefers wearables.
Gary Sampson, an Indianapolis-based veterinarian who specializes in cat behaviour, said the 13-year-old cat is probably drawn to body odours.
"He's obviously a hunter," Sampson said. "He's doing this at night. This is when they can get prey. It's just an extension of that."
Police Sgt. Paul Fitzpatrick said there isn't anything the police could do about Midnight's crimes, except refer the complaint to animal control.
― Leee (Leee), Thursday, 24 July 2003 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)
So the cat is actually a raccoon, then.
― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 24 July 2003 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)
Didn't you read, DB? The racoon actually meowed....hence their calling it Tigger (or Fluffy, etc.)
― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Thursday, 24 July 2003 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)
Pepper used to steal my toothbrush and hide it all the time. In fact, I once found a little pile under the nightstand of toothbrushes, bracelets, pens and hairbands.
― Sarah McLusky (coco), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:18 (twenty-two years ago)