Australian cat steals underwear from neighbours

MELBOURNE - The owners of a cat in Australia have lodged a complaint with the police saying it has started stealing knickers and underwear from neighbours.

Peter and Birgitt Weismantel, residents of Southampton, adopted the cat named Oscar from a cat protection charity. But the 12-year-old cat soon started to bring home its stolen booty that included over 70 items like gardening gloves, ladies knickers, socks and children’s underwear, The Age reported.

As the stolen haul went up, Peter Weismantel, 72, became concerned that neighbours would think there was a thief operating in the area. So he contacted police to tell them about his pet’s “anti-social” behaviour.

“When we let him out in the garden, he started bringing back gardening gloves and bits of rubber gloves and then he went up market and started bringing back knickers. Then it began to escalate and I telephoned the police as people must have been missing clothes,” Weismantel was quoted as saying.

The cat has not stopped and “he’s still doing it now”, he said.

Weismantel said he does not know why the cat was doing it, but added: “We feel that he is bringing us presents as a token of appreciation, an offer to help pay his way.”