Affectionate Cat In Philadelphia Finds The Sweetest Way To Show Love To Her Family

Here’s a heart-warming story that will definitely make you smile. Meet China, the charming cat with a not-so-secret hobby, stealing. 

While most cats spend their days lounging in sunny spots or chasing the occasional leaf, China prefers something a bit more adventurous. She’s a self-appointed neighbourhood “collector” who loves bringing home all sorts of treasures.

From socks and gloves to rolls of dog bags and even scissors, nothing in her street seems to be safe.

Her owner, Monica, first noticed this unusual behaviour years ago and still laughs about how it began:

“It started when she was like 2-3 years old with my housemate’s clean socks. We were sitting on the couch one day and heard her. She was making some weird meows so we slowly peeked around the corner and saw her dropping the sock by my door. It was the funniest thing we had seen!” 

Apparently, this was only the beginning. Soon after, Monica’s housemate sent her a photo showing every missing sock piled neatly by her door.

“One day, my housemate sent me a text with a picture of all his socks by my door explaining that he was leaving for work and couldn’t find his socks, so he checked my door. It was hilarious! We had to hide the dog poop bags because she would steal the roll and leave a trail of unraveled bags all over the apartment leading to my door.”

From Indoor Thief To Outdoor Burglar

When Monica and China later moved to a new home and the mischievous feline was allowed outdoors, her “operations” expanded dramatically.

Items began appearing at the door, at first small things like cigarette packets, gloves, and matches. Monica assumed they belonged to her housemates, until the pile started growing and it became clear that China had been raiding the neighbours’ gardens.

Whenever Monica tried returning the items, China would promptly fetch them again, as if saying, “No, that’s a gift for you!” In the end, Monica gave up trying to stop her during the day and started collecting the stolen goods each evening to give back later.

Her front step soon looked like a lost-and-found box, only this one was curated by a very determined cat.

The Cat Who Went Viral

To prove that she wasn’t making it up, Monica decided to set up a camera and share China’s escapades online. What started as a funny experiment quickly became a viral success.

“So, I decided to set up the camera. I felt like no one really believed me. It was just too funny. My friends really enjoyed it and it made their day. They would ask me about her and if I had any more videos of her stealing things and my nightly backyard wildlife activities. She’s such a character that I just thought a lot of people would enjoy seeing this, so I started Songs Of My Felines.”

That’s how her Instagram account Songs of My Felines was born, where Monica now posts regular updates of China proudly presenting her “gifts.” You’ll find everything from gardening gloves to tote bags, socks, and even pairs of scissors among her haul.

Coming Clean To The Neighbours

Eventually, Monica decided it was time to confess. Unsure how the neighbours would react, she gathered all the stolen items into a bag and left them on their doorstep with a note explaining the situation, along with her phone number and Instagram handle.

“I was afraid of how the neighbors would react because not everyone is friendly, and I didn’t want to have to lock her up in my tiny place. So I tried to feel it out as much as possible, but it was too much. I couldn’t keep covering for her, so I came clean. I left the neighbors a bag with their items and a note explaining what was going on with my phone number and IG contact in case they wanted to see it for themselves.”

To her relief, the neighbours took it in good humour.

“I was so afraid of their response. Luckily, my neighbor contacted me and said that they have an indoor cat and absolutely loved the videos and had no problems with her burglarizing them. They were just glad to know it wasn’t raccoons! I have set up a ‘return box’ that China can’t reach, and they can find their missing backyard items.”

The Most Lovable Burglar In Town

These days, China’s reputation as the neighbourhood thief has turned her into something of a local celebrity. Even her victims can’t help but smile at her antics. After all, it’s hard to stay mad at a cat who delivers her stolen loot with such pride.

So, would you mind if your neighbour’s cat “borrowed” a few of your belongings? Or would you simply laugh it off like Monica’s neighbours did?

One thing’s for sure, China has proven that even a mischievous cat can win hearts, one stolen sock at a time.