'Kleptomaniac' cat steals cache of gloves, toys and even underwear
Vernon B.C. family has a cache of stuff their cat named Sketch has dragged home from the neighbours
Sketch the cat doesn't just steal gloves. She steals pairs of gloves. So far she's dragged home 30 pairs and a few bras. Yes, as in underwear.
The fluffy two-year-old pet looks innocent enough, but let her into your gardening shed and it's all over.
Sketch is a thief. She makes off with gardening gloves, dog toys, sneakers and even underwear.
- Underwear-stealing cat pilfers about 30 pairs of boxer briefs
- "Kleptomaniac" cat, Sienna, steals more than 50 gloves
"We had caught her with stuff in her mouth one morning. We're not even sure how to stop her from doing it," Cindy Schmidt of Vernon B.C.said, describing her cat as a "kleptomaniac."
"We've caught her with shoes, bras, random dog toys ... It's just totally bizarre," she said.
At first, they thought it was their other cat — Butterball.
"He's a little silly himself," Schmidt explained.
Poor wronged Butterball escaped blame after Sketch was spotted with a mouthful of loot.
Witnesses confirmed it's the grey tabby that keeps taking off with other people's items and piling them on the deck of the home where she lives with Cindy and her husband Steve Redly.
So they took to social media to try to return gardening gloves and 500 people commented — a few offering to buy the cat despite her deviant behavior.
Many urged the family to keep Sketch inside, but Cindy says they tried that and she gets too "owly."
Schmidt is urging neighbours to hide their irresistible gardening gloves.
It turns out Sketch is not alone. Cats from California to Oregon have been reported to have a penchant for pilfering gloves and bringing them home. And yes, they also prefer pairs.
"Unfortunately there is no clear cut answer as to why some cats collect strange items and bring them home," said Dr. Koharik Arman with the Cats Only Veterinary Clinic in Vancouver.
"The general working theory is that this behaviour is some sort of misplaced hunting and/or maternal instinct."
Arman said providing extra mental stimulation at home can help provide a different outlet for this behaviour.
