News / Bristol
Trio of cat burglars operating in Clifton
A trio of cat burglars have been operating in broad daylight, stealing slippers and children’s toys from unsuspecting householders in Clifton Village.
The thieving felines are fast becoming notorious in the neighbourhood for their brazen pilfering of footwear and furry items, but they have so far managed to evade capture by a whisker.
Owner Ruth Bucknell decided it was time to blow the lid off the cat-footed crew and has revealed their identity in a bid to reunite owners with the stolen goods.
is needed now More than ever
Snowball, aka The Slipper Nicker, who is thought to be the ring leader of the gang
Sausage, whose calling card is a cuddly toy
The third gang member, Chocolate, is thought to be operating as the lookout. He proved too elusive for our photographer to capture.
“It took me a while to put two and two together but then someone said to me, ‘Ruth, it’s the cats – they are nicking slippers’,” said Ruth.
The Royal York Crescent resident explained the three furry fiends operate during the daytime, when they go out into the back garden and target neighbouring properties.
“It started in January. At least that’s when we noticed it, because my goddaughter had been staying with us and we found a slipper in the house. I called her to say that she had left a slipper behind and she said it wasn’t hers.
“We realised that they must be going into people’s houses and coming back out with stolen goods. We got Sausage in February and she has this thing for cuddly toys.
“She started stealing them from within the house and then she took the search wider.
“I wondered if we could get in trouble because it is stealing, but it’s the cats, not us.”
Ruth’s nine-year-old son Ronnie said he has even witnessed the pilfering pussycats pulling toys almost twice their size in through the cat flap.
Ruth said the tipping point came when Chocolate came back to the house with a toy horse that is probably much loved by its young owner, and she knew the time had come to speak out against the canny cat burglars.
Can anybody come forward to claim a stolen pink horse?
Ruth has not been able to identify any owners of the items so far, but would like to return items if people come forward to claim them.
“I wouldn’t mind so much if it was diamonds but we have only had cuddly toys and slippers so far,” she joked.
Unaware their cover has been blown, the three culprits continue to look like the cats that got the cream.
Read more: Bristol’s first cat cafe is now open
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