'Cat burglar': Neighbourhood moggy with a magnetic collar responsible for spate of missing keys

The Telegraph [UK] ^ | 10 Dec 2012

[Slings and Arrows]

Then they discovered the culprit, a genuine “cat burglar” who had made off with more than 20 sets of house and car keys.

The neighbours discovered that Milo the neighbourhood moggy was stealing the keys – attached to his magnetic collar.

The nine-year-old cat had been fitted with the collar to operate her cat flap and stop other cats sneaking into her home to steal her food.

But the collar was also picking up the keys along with its adventures to other people’s homes.

It was not until Kirsten Alexander, 27, spotted her pet coming through the cat flap with a set of someone else's keys dangling from her magnetic collar that the mystery was solved.

In the past five weeks, Milo's collar picked up at more than 20 sets house and car keys as she wandered from home to home through neighbour's catflaps in Stoke Newington, north east London.

[Slings and Arrows]

Picture at source. Methinks Kitteh is in cahoots with a local locksmith.

[Slings and Arrows]

[Mercat]

Wow. In before the ping.

[Slings and Arrows]

[Slings and Arrows]

It was a trap! You’re surrounded!

[SkyDancer]

[mylife]

Ping

[Jyotishi]

Pic of the perp and the evidence... but the cat is totally innocent.

[ApplegateRanch]

This could all be prevented if people were not too lazy to open & close their doors for their pets at need, instead of cutting a hole in it for them to run loose.

It only takes one mad squirrel; or a possum, coon, or skunk; or an enterprising tyke/teen burglary team to make believers out of them. Or, tragically, one squished cat or dog.

Pets, unless invited & taken elsewhere, belong in the home & yard of their owner, for both their safety, and the safety of the owner’s finances.

[Slings and Arrows]

[Jyotishi]

Ha-ha-ha! Thanks.

[Slings and Arrows]

De nada, FRiend.

[Cicero]

Truth is stranger than fiction.

[Dr. Sivana]

This could all be prevented if people were not too lazy to open & close their doors for their pets at need

My cat likes to come and go at 2 AM (yard is fenced, which discourages long forays). Not wanting to get up at 2AM is NOT "lazy".

My rat terrier dog is very shy, and will not make a noise to be let out. She just looks "worried". Doesn't work too well if you are in another room.

That flap is a wonderful addition to our home, and no coon, squirrel etc. has figured it out in four years of rural living.

[Jack Hydrazine]

[Slings and Arrows]

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Naturally. Fiction has to be believable.

[SaraJohnson]

I don’t believe this story. I think this is an attention whore at work and it’s not the moggy.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You’d think this cat burglar would be picking up all manner of hardware, not just keys.

[Slings and Arrows]

[NYTexan]

LOL!