Whangārei cat burglar Pavlov steals from neighbours

Whangārei kitty kleptomaniac Pavlov uses his stealth to his advantage on his thieving missions.

The 1-year-old black and white moggy is adept at entering and leaving homes with stolen items without attracting notice.

The cat burglar has flogged socks, underwear, slippers, gloves, bras, a teddy, a necklace, boy's togs and a girl's T-shirt from unsuspecting neighbours in Hikurangi.

Cat owner Denise Caughley said she knew she had a problem when a pair of men's undies which were definitely not her husband's turned up on the front doorstep of their George St home.

"The first thing that turned up was men's undies and I knew they weren't my husband's and further investigations revealed they weren't my brother-in-law's, who was staying with us at the time."

They were quickly discarded but mysteriously more foreign items began to appear in the backyard, front doorstep and inside the Caughley home over the last four months.

"We noticed odd socks, then slippers and all sorts starting appearing," Caughley said.

The finger was quickly pointed at Pavlov as he was at one point caught red handed stealing a bra from a drying rack at the neighbour's house. The brassiere was quickly returned.

Finding the owners of the other purloined items saw Caughley turn to Facebook and make an appeal on the Hikurangi Community Page.

The victims of the crimes got in touch.

They were close. Just two doors down.

It seems Pavlov had befriended the four felines at the house and had invited himself in through the cat door and familiarised himself with the surrounds.

With this inside knowledge he stole a plethora of items.

During these premeditated burglaries Pavlov made return trips to ensure he had sets of slippers — the purrfect heist.

Most of the property has been returned but there is a pair of slippers, a sock and a child's necklace that are yet to be reunited with the owners.

"They thought it was funny and still welcome him into their home."

It probably wasn't a case of Pavlov being born bad, but instead a case of his inquisitive nature coming to the fore. He was one of five in a litter born at the Hikurangi house.

His four siblings were homed but the Caughleys kept Pavlov because of his nosy nature and active attitude.

"He's got a real personality and is a striking little cat."

He had a great mate in feline Roman, however his companion seemed to be more of a stay home and not steal anything type of cat.

According to pet website Chewy, cats are natural kleptomaniacs and love to prey on harmless household items and pile them up.

They're clever creatures that use stealing as a tactic for attention, play and food or sometimes they're simply following their animal instincts.

Another reason your cats steal could be they are not satisfied with their cat food or eating schedule.

Cats are particularly successful collectors, as they have the combination of curiosity, stealth, and agility necessary for a successful career in petty crime.