Dusty the Klepto Cat

Dusty, a grey-and-white cat from San Mateo, California, earned his nickname the honest way — by stealing. Over several years he lifted an astonishing haul of objects from his neighbours' gardens and porches, dragging home swimming trunks, gloves, socks, sponges, dish towels, children's toys and even a bikini top, night after night.

His owners first realised something was odd when unfamiliar items began appearing in their home. Setting up a night-vision camera, they captured Dusty slipping out after dark and returning with his loot clamped in his jaws — sometimes making multiple trips in a single night. At his most prolific he was reckoned to have stolen more than six hundred items.

Dusty's compulsive thieving turned him into a minor celebrity. He was featured on television, where his midnight raids were played for laughs, and he became a favourite example for behaviourists explaining that some cats simply carry their strong retrieving and hoarding instincts to comic extremes.

While no one has a complete explanation, experts suggest cats like Dusty are expressing a blend of hunting behaviour — carrying "prey" back to a safe den — and the confidence of a well-fed cat with time on its paws. For his neighbours, the safest bet was simply to keep an eye out for missing socks.