"Klepto the cat": Nothing in neighbourhood safe with Dusty around

By Barbara Munker Aug 11, 2011, 3:06 GMT

San Mateo, California - There aren't many cat thieves like this one. Every night Dusty prowls quietly around the neighbourhood and steals anything he can carry. And the thieving feline from San Mateo, California has certainly earned his nickname - 'Klepto the cat'.

Dusty is quite sticky-pawed as his owner Jean Chu has kept a record of more than 600 stolen items in the past three years. Dusty's one-night record is 11 items. 'Four towels, four socks, one plastic bag, one pot holder and a yellow glove,' says the 57-year-old dentist Jean.

That came on July 20, 2009. 'He brings home the most when the weather is warm,' admits Jean. Dusty's 'accomplices' Jean and husband Jim Coleman keep the stolen goods at their house in four large cardboard boxes in the living room.

This is truly a lost-and-found. Among the heisted goods are stuffed animals, t-shirts, socks, underwear, lots of towels, a bright green ski glove and a colourful frisbee.

Perhaps Dusty's heaviest prize was a baseball glove or some neoprene surf shoes. His most expensive loot was likely a padded bra. But he was caught in the action on that one.

The Animal Planet channel came to spy on Dusty for two weeks. A night vision video camera was installed near the house entrance, where the cat would usually drop his haul. And the video caught Dusty in black and white, struggling to drag a towel in his mouth on one of his nightly raids.

Gloves, sponges and bras are easy in comparison. 'I, myself, have only caught him once with a glove in his mouth,' said Jean. 'But a neighbour once watched as Dusty walked backwards barely able to drag a towel.'

Dusty is lucky that he's only a cat. Instead of going to prison or therapy, the 'Klepto Kitty' gets fan mail and television appearances. He was even flown to New York City to be on the David Letterman talk show.

And Dusty has his own Facebook page where Jean documents his night-time prowling with photos. With all the work he does at night, it's no wonder that he is lazy and just hangs around during the day.

'He really never plays with the things. It's more about collecting things for him,' Jean said.

Dusty was adopted by the family in 2006 as a baby kitten. Nobody anticipated back then that the brown-black cat with white paws would turn the neighbourhood into his stealing paradise.

'I kept wondering why somebody would throw socks and underwear in front of our house,' recalled Jim. It wasn't until Dusty laid a rubber glove in their bedroom that the couple realised it was their cat bringing home gifts. By now, the entire neighbourhood knows of Dusty's dastardly deeds.

When Kelly McLellan's bikini recently vanished she knew right away who the perpetrator was. 'Dusty is well known!' confirmed neighbour Marsha Mekisich. 'We don't leave anything lying around anymore,' she said with a grin.

The number of valuable stolen goods that Jean has to return to her neighbours has dwindled in recent months. Due to a lack of better loot, Dusty has been left with many plastic bags and old rags. 'Maybe we should lay out something nice for him - with our address on it,' joked Mekisich.

Dusty need not worry about punishment, not even if he occasionally brings home a dead mouse. It's a cat's instinct to bring home loot, according to Jean. 'But with Dusty it's a bit more obsessive and a little extreme,' admits the cat owner.