Shoe stealing cat follows in mother's pawprints
16 September 2004  

A second-generation thief apparently born into a life of crime is
terrorising the Dunedin suburb of Mornington.

Podge the cat, whose mother Kizzi used to steal rugby socks, has spent
much of the past two and a-half years flogging shoes from porches.

He lost part of his tail during one late-night raid - his owner,
Aileen Smith, suspected it was caught in a door as he tried to get
away - but he continues to steal shoes by the pair.

After a quiet period of some weeks, Podge stole four pair of shoes
last week and on Sunday was caught, "with his tail up like a peacock",
dragging a pastel-blue slip-on down the footpath to his Ventnor St
home.

"I don't know if he learned about stealing things from his mother, but
she was never that bad," Mrs Smith said, noting Podge might have to be
put under house arrest.

Animal behaviourist Associate Professor Kevin Stafford, of Massey
University, said stealing pairs of shoes was unusual, and that there
was every chance Podge had learned his behaviour from his mother,
Kizzi, who continues to steal slippers and stuffed toys from Mrs
Smith.

It was called "misdirected predation", an urbanised response to the
hunting instinct, and it was almost impossible to stop.

"I'm afraid all I can say is that this is likely to be a recurrent
chance to meet the neighbours," he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3034964a11,00.html