Cat burglar

Milo the ‘magnetic’ cat burglar collared for pilfering 20 sets of keys from neighbours

Meet Milo the magnetic moggy who today can be unmasked as the ‘cat burglar’ responsible for pinching more than 20 sets of keys from her owner’s neighbours.

Over the past month people living within roaming distance of the nine-year-old tabby cat have been left mystified after their house and car keys kept vanishing from their homes.

It was not until the owner of the troublesome moggy, 27-year-old Kirsten Alexander, spotted her pet coming through the catflap with a set of keys dangling from her magnetic collar that the mystery was solved.

 

Magnetic moggy: Milo’s collar had been fitted with a magnet to stop other cats getting into her home

Kirsten fitted Milo with the collar – which only allows cats fitted with a magnet entry through a catflap – last month to stop other cats sneaking into her home to pinch Milo’s food.

But in the past five weeks, Milo’s collar picked up at more than 20 sets of house and car keys as she wandered from home to home through neighbours’ catflaps in Stoke Newington, north east London.

At first neighbours just thought they were misplacing their keys, but last week it became the talk of the neighbourhood after locals realised there had been a ‘spate of key thefts’.

It was only when Kirsten spotted Milo coming through the catflap with a set of house keys attached to her collar that she realised what was happening and immediately alerted her neighbours.

The 27-year-old admin worker said today: ‘I put a magnetic catflap to stop other cats coming in to steal Milo’s food, but I had no idea what she was getting up to all day when I was at work.

Cat burglar: Milo stole more than 20 sets of house and car keys as she roamed around north east London

Well intentioned: Owner Kirsten Alexander fitted Milo with the collar to stop other cats getting into her home

‘Obviously she likes roaming around and sneaking into other people’s homes and it just so happens that her magnetic collar kept picking up people’s spare keys.’

She found 12 sets of keys in her back garden and eight dotted around her home – as well as another six sets which were found in neighbour’s gardens after they dropped off Milo’s collar as she prowled through their gardens.

Kirsten said she had also found dozens of metal items scattered around her house, including nails, pins, screws and bolts.

She added: ‘When I saw her coming through the catflap with a set of keys round her neck I thought ‘poor thing’ because her neck was really weighed down, and then it dawned on me what was happening.

‘I’ve given all the keys back and luckily neighbours have seen the funny side of it.’

Case closed: Kirsten solved the mystery when Milo walked in with keys around her neck