While most cat owners dread their pets bringing home mice, one New Zealand family faces a more unusual shame: their feline is a prolific thief.
Fifteen-month-old Leo, now known as ‘Leonardo da Pinchy’, has become a local celebrity in Mairangi Bay for his unstoppable “one-cat crimewave”.
The feline’s expensive taste has cemented his notoriety in the placid beachside neighbourhood. His frequent hauls from clotheslines and bedrooms include silk boxer shorts and thick men’s work socks, often still with clothespins attached.
In a particularly mortifying episode for his humans, Leo recently made off with a brand-new cashmere sweater, valued at NZ$300 New Zealand (about £145).
“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,” Leo’s owner, Helen North, said.
“Because it was beautiful. I was like, ‘Ooh, can I keep that?’ But I couldn’t.”
Instead, Ms North turned to a neighborhood WhatsApp group to return Leo’s stolen goods to their rightful owners. Her usual message: “Are these your undies?”
But the pilfered stash kept piling up: socks (piles), underwear (loads) and even a five-foot-long stuffed snake (bizarre).
On one record-setting day, Leo returned with nine items, enough for a full outfit if you didn’t mind a mix of everything from baby clothes to menswear.
“He brought in a jersey this morning at 8.10am,” Ms North said.
“The shops hadn’t even opened.”
With dozens of items unclaimed, the embarrassed owner took her search for Leo’s victims wider this month, posting photos of his hauls on a local Facebook page along with an apology and her address.
Those who showed up to claim their belongings included a woman who recognised her pink and purple underpants and a boy whose beloved and missing sports jersey was helpfully identifiable by his name printed on the back.
The anger Ms North expected over Leo’s cat burgling antics didn’t eventuate – although one of his targets, who is allergic to cats, now dries her laundry indoors.
