New Zealand’s Wellington (AP) The majority of cat owners fear that their pets will bring mice or birds home with them. Being an unintentional co-conspirator in an unstoppable one-cat crimewave is a greater embarrassment for the owners of one felonious feline in Auckland, New Zealand.
15-month-old Leo has gained a new nickname and become a local celebrity due to his frequent laundry-pinching from bedrooms and clotheslines in the serene Mairangi Bay area. His current name is Leonardo da Pinchy.
He also has high-end taste. Silk boxer shorts, thick men’s work socks (ideally with the clothespins still on them), and, at one embarrassing moment for his people, a brand-new $300 New Zealand dollar ($181) cashmere sweater are among his regular hauls.
Helen North, Leo’s owner, remarked, “It’s bad, it’s bad, this is the worst thing he’s brought in, it’s really bad,” when my daughter called me at work when she was at home sick. since it was lovely. “Ooh, can I keep that?” I asked. However, I was unable to.
To return Leo’s stolen goods to their proper owners, North instead used a local WhatsApp group. “Are these your undies?” was her standard response.
Socks (piles), underwear (loads), and even a five-foot-long stuffed snake (bizarre) were among the looted items that continued to accumulate. If you didn’t mind a mix of everything from menswear to baby apparel, Leo’s nine products on one record-breaking day would have been plenty for an entire wardrobe.
At ten past eight this morning, he brought in a jersey, according to North. Not even the stores had opened.
This month, the humiliated owner expanded her search for Leo’s victims after discovering scores of unclaimed things. She posted pictures of his hauls on a local Facebook group, along with an apology and her address. A woman who recognized her pink and purple underwear and a youngster whose name was printed on the back of his missing and cherished sports jersey were among those who came to get their possessions.
Although one of his targets, who has a cat allergy, now dries her laundry indoors, the anger North anticipated over Leo’s cat burglary activities did not materialize.
“Everyone in our neighborhood thinks he’s fantastic,” she remarked. Since he hasn’t really taken anything from them, some of them are furious.
Nevertheless, North has done all she can to stop her cat’s fascination with laundry, including trying to keep him inside and laying clothing out for him to steal. No success.
“He only wants things that he shouldn’t have,” she stated, adding that she didn’t want to take the chance of Leo being suggested online that he only needed a playmate.
North remarked, “He might teach another cat to do this.”
When Leo was first permitted outside a year ago, his life of crime officially begun. His family, however, hopes it’s only a period of youth.
North remarked, “I hope he gets over it because I don’t want to do this for like 15 years.” There’s a lot of admin involved.
Leonardo da Pinchy is still out there, on the streets of Mairangi Bay.
