Residents in the small town of Wiesendangen, Switzerland, are being plagued by a cat burglar of the four legged variety.
Margrit Geiger’s “klepto kitty” Speedy has spent the past three years roaming the neighborhood and bringing back a wide array of items like badminton shuttlecocks, gloves, scarves, shirts, and even a woman’s bra. Geiger says the cats currently fond of underwear and black socks, according to MSNBC.
Geiger was quoted in the Swiss newspaper Blick saying that the cat has stolen at least 100 items, adding, “It carries everything through a hole in the shed, through the attic, straight to my son Daniel’s room. Daniel is its absolute favorite person.”
The problem has gotten so bad the family has posted notices in town saying, “Help! Our cat steals!” and asking folks with missing items to come to their home to see if Speedy was the culprit.
But Speedy’s petty crimes pale in comparison to Dusty, a cat in San Mateo, California. Dusty has reportedly stolen over 600 items, including Crocs, a baseball cap, and a woman’s bikini. Marilyn Krieger, a cat behavior consultant, says that Dusty’s behavior may be “a form of [obsessive compulsive disorder].”
Veterinarian Brigitte Buetikofer told a reporter that “animals steal to gain attention, so ignoring them is the best cure.”