Magnetic-collar moggy steals keys
Image: Stian Alexander
Neighbours discover key-stealing culpritA nine-year-old cat has been stealing keys from her neighbours, after being fitted with a magnetic collar.
Milo the tabby cat was fitted with a magnetic collar that operates with a magnetic cat flap, in order to stop other cats entering her home and eating her food.
However, in the past five weeks Milo has managed to pick up more than 20 sets of house and car keys, as she goes into her neighbours houses via their cat flaps.
Milo was caught red-pawed when her owner, 27-year-old Kirsten Alexander, spotted her coming through the cat flap dangling the keys from her collar.
"I had no idea what she was getting up to all day when I was at work," said Miss Alexander. "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.
"When I saw her coming through the cat flap 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,” she said.
Miss Alexander found 12 sets of keys in her back garden, eight dotted around her home and six more in neighbours gardens that had dropped off Milo's collar.
"I've given all the keys back and luckily neighbours have seen the funny side of it," added Miss Alexander, who also found nails, pins, screws and bolts scattered around her home.
RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.
