A cat burglar and kleptocat, has stolen the hearts of Australians after becoming an internet celebrity for his relentless robbing of locals and their toys.
Kay McCall and her husband were moving into a new apartment last year in Ferny Hills, near Brisbane, when they met a ginger cat who hopped over the fence looking for a head pat and chin scratches.
It became an enjoyable daily encounter, but as the visits continued they began to notice an accumulation of toys in their yard.
It wasn’t long before they caught him in the act. It turned out, the orange visitor was bringing more than affection and neighborliness.
McCall says he left in their yard several odd socks, a school tee-shirt, and lots of toys.
“He brought a beautiful little Peter Rabbit,” she told ABC News Australia. “After a while, we just accumulated a ridiculous number—literally an entire table-full.”
They decided to post a picture of the “Pirate Kitty” and his haul on a Facebook group for locals, seeing if any of the toys belonged to the neighbors. Indeed, dozens of people reported they had been visited by Pirate Kitty, or recognized one of this plundered items— and he instantly became a local icon.
Pirate kitty needed a home
Eventually, McCall tracked down the ginger cat’s loving owners and established that, no, it wasn’t a vagabond—and that it had a home nearby—but the family couldn’t keep him from wandering off.
Later the owners asked if the McCalls were able to help Pirate Kitty find a new home, since it was impossible for them to ensure his safety.
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A local resident, Ingrid Moyle, who regularly fostered stray animals, had recently lost some family members, so she decided that a new lover in their home would be a good idea.
Because Pirate Kitty didn’t respond to his actual name ‘Johnny,’ Moyle called him ‘Kylo’ after one of her favorite angsty Star Wars characters.
“I was a Pirate Kitty fan from the very first post … and then I saw the post that Kay put up saying his previous owners couldn’t keep him anymore,” Ms. Moyle said.
Turning Pirate Kitty into an indoor cat was surprisingly easy—but ending the chronic thievery was all but impossible.
“I have a very, very large box of toys of different sizes and shapes, so I just tip this toy box on the floor downstairs in the lounge room.”
Kylo now chooses a toy and drags it up the stairs to their bedroom, where he presents it to his new mother while she is presumably trying to sleep. He then runs off to get another one.
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Since the happy ending, the Pirate Kitty’s fan base has asserted that Kylo actually now owns Moyle, rather than the other way around—and everyone looks forward new posts about the cat’s mischief in the Ferny Hills home.
STEAL The Hearts of Friends By Posting The Pirate Antics on Social Media…
I can’t be the only one waiting for Bilbo’s Bag End pad!
D’Oh! Wrong article! I’ll post it in the right one…