A case of missing shoes in a Canterbury township has been traced back to a cat burglar operating after dark.
Cooper, the two-year-old cat from Rangiora, has a knack for swiping shoes from neighbouring properties - he once stole seven in one night.
Luckily his owner says people aren't angry, but think it's rather funny.
Jacinta O'Donnell adopted Cooper in July last year.
Ms O'Donnell said she had been told about his shoe stealing tendency before she took him in, and kept him inside at first.
But once she let him outside, he was back to his old habits, she said.
"They did mention he had been stealing shoes, we didn't think too much about it but later realised how bad it was.
"At first it was sport shoes, then moved on to jandals, then children's blow up balls - at the moment, it's car wash sponges.
"Sometimes he brings back one, then later gets the other shoe."
She said Cooper would mainly bring back pairs of shoes, but would sometimes return home with only one shoe.
"I think he loses some - he must get interrupted when he steals them."
O'Donnell had lost count of how many shoes Cooper had acquired but she thought he mostly operated after dark, sometimes stealing shoes from the same house, a move she said was "quite bold".
The owners of one house Cooper nicked shoes from told O'Donnell they had "a couple of little dogs" and he must have gone through the dog flap to steal the jandals.
People had so far reacted well to their belongings being swiped by Cooper.
"People are pretty good. We haven't had anyone angry - they think it's quite funny."
If people had any missing belongings then they could come collect them, she said.
"People can always give us a ring or pop over if they have any missing items - we've still got a whole heap of jandals that still haven't been claimed."
Newshub.
