The residents of Beaverton, Oregon, have a smooth criminal in their midst. This sneaky soul creeps up on them when they least expect it, snatching items from their open garages and scurrying off with forbidden treasures. But this isn’t your garden variety thief. It is actually Esme, a very adorable black cat thief whose owner, Kate Felmet, can only deal with the aftermath. (We first learned about this story via Laughing Squid.) Felmet blew the cover on Esme’s secret stealing missions, posting a sign to ask neighbors to please come and collect their belongings.
The sign’s message is simple. It says “My cat is a thief” in red and rather damning letters at the top alongside an artistic rendering of Esme with a glove in her mouth. The bottom instructs people to reclaim their items. The sign went viral, of course, landing Kate and Esme a local news spot. A YouTube clip even reveals Felmet’s uncanny ability to mimic Esme’s kitty growl.
The concept of having a sign saying your cat steals and hanging people’s stuff from a clothesline is rather funny to most people. Everyone except Kate Felmet, of course. She doesn’t want to shame Esme’s activities. The cat thief is rather proud of her finds, bringing them to the backdoor and yelping until her human tells her she’s doing great.
But Felmet also doesn’t want to keep things that obviously belong to someone else either. Honestly, there’s little she can do to control Esme. We as human beings have no control over cats. It’s their world and we must accept whatever actions they choose to take.
The aforementioned video of the stolen goods reveals a bit about our lovely cat thief Esme. There are some other small items like a child’s mask, but Esme has a particular affinity for gloves. Particularly garden gloves. Esme is in the public eye now but it certainly won’t stop her from doing what she wants. And I personally support her lifestyle and choices.
