Bella is a long-haired tabby cat with a heart full of sweetness and devotion. Bella has been Shawn Bell’s wonderful friend for the past ten years by being her loving self.
However, not too long ago, she started to exhibit one unfavorable trait of her feline mentality.
It appears that Bella is a thief.
Bella’s foray into a life of crime seemed to have begun spontaneously last summer. One day, much to Bell’s surprise, he noticed his cat arriving to their home in Vancouver, Canada, carrying a sock. The next day, she brought home another. The day after that, yet more socks.
On the fourth day, Bella came in carrying a child’s drawing, apparently just to mix things up a bit.
Here’s a photo of the cat’s first haul:
Where those items had come from was anyone’s guess, though Bell was sure of one thing: They weren’t his. Bella had presumably stolen them while out on her evening prowls. And she didn’t stop there.
That summer, Bell filled half a garbage bag with purloined clothes. But in recent months, Bella’s thieving ways have only increased.
Bell told The Dodo that she used to just bring one article of clothes home each night. “Now she is bringing two, three, or perhaps more home every night.”
And the amount of stolen clothing has been staggering.
Bell has put up banners throughout his apartment complex in the vain attempt to reconnect the clothing with its original owners.
In the unlikely event that someone recognizes their belongings, he has been stacking them up on a chair outside his home.
The whole thing has Bell feeling sorta guilty — and a little uncomfortable.
“It sucks to have to keep buying clothes if they keep going missing,” he said. “Then there is the issue of the undergarments and her starting to make me look a bit weird.”
That’s right. Bella’s been stealing people’s unmentionables, too.
Bell hopes that, as word spreads about his cat’s ill-gotten gains, the person or persons Bella has been stealing from will come forward to reclaim their laundry.
The cat, meanwhile, has yet to see the error in her saddling her owner with stolen goods.
“I think she’s proud of herself,” Bell said. “But she’s not picking the right size or the right gender for me.”
Still, Bell admits he adores Bella regardless.
“She’s my girl no matter how bad her behavior is,” Bell said. “I guess she has my unconditional love, even though she’s a kleptomaniac.”
