Magpie Kitty

[Irememberitalltoowell14]

My cat is a magpie in disguise.

She steals things. Collects things. Moves them. Hides them. Plays with them. Random household objects. Today she has brought downstairs a pair of headphones in a pouch, 3 pairs of socks and a towel!

Last week it was a £5 note. She has been known to steal my Apple Watch, the bathroom plug, house keys, a packet of halls soothers, tampons, a tube of moisturiser, plus many other items. We have to be so careful what we leave lying around.

It’s hilariously funny when she’s caught in the act - but what is this all about?! Presumably she is acting on a hunting instinct or bringing us lovely gifts 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyone else have a cat that does this?

Indoor cat, One of 2 siblings, 11 months old. Her sister does not do this!

She sounds amazing!!!

Our cat, when he was younger, used to steal washing up sponges and once, very embarrassingly, a reasonable quantity of food from a neighbour's bbq. Caught him wrestling a massive floured bap through the cat flap 😬

I had one that used to steal things from the school behind us. Used to bring home weird PE items like bean bags and plastic balls.

We had one who regularly brought home food, boiled ham that, by the wrapping came from a posh deli, slice of breaded fish all sorts of little treats. We currently have one who had been a stray, she was obsessed with potato peelings and cake, we think that this is what she lived on while on the street. Her tastes have moved on now, my knitting or anything hand knitted is favourite, she can open my knitting bag and help herself. If she can get in my sock drawer she's in heaven but only wants the hand knitted socks and she sings to them which gives the game away a bit

It's her hunting instinct - when cats are kept indoors they have no choice but to channel their natural behaviour into something unnatural.

Cat tax
Can we have a picture of the kitty with their haul please?

Ours likes to carry things around in his mouth. Mainly his own things - stuffed mice generally - but I caught him with my dental retainer last week so nothing is sacred. @sunsetsandboardwalks ours goes out so I think he just likes carting stuff about the house! Here he is with one of his mouses.

Haha yes to be fair so does one of ours @Judystilldreamsofhorses - his favourite is bottle tops and plastic ring pulls 😂

One of ours regularly runs off with the yucky gel thingy that DH wears under his foot to ease foot pain. She tosses it around, chews it and growls if he tries to retrieve it! And he still wears it afterwards 🤢

Our female likes ponytail bands, elastic bands and the plastic lid off a milk carton (they are bigger than the juice or soya milk carton)/she walks about with these is her mouth.
Our male likes feathers , doesn’t catch anything himself but if there’s a load of feathers from a fight then he’s in there . Magpie feathers especially. Maybe he hopes to get magpie DNA in him