Woman took to Facebook to return stolen items worth $400 — victims were speechless when the thief's true identity was revealed

Her efforts paid off when a neighbor claimed an item, and stolen goods are ready to be returned.

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO

(L) Lady packing clothes into box, (R) Huge black bag full of golden accessories. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Katarzyna Bialasiewicz, (R) AnnaStills)

A woman resorted to desperate measures to return stolen items worth $400 lying around her house. Donna Hibbert was concerned for her neighbors in Darley Abbey, England, and wanted to do the honest work of sending the expensive and miscellaneous goods back to their owners. While the good deed was much appreciated, the internet was dumbfounded when they discovered the real culprit behind all the thefts.

A cat looking outside from a window pane | (Cover Image Source: Pexels | Anete Lusina ) — A cat looking outside from a window pane. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Anete Lusina)

It was a clear case of cat burglary as Hibbert’s cats, Harry and his brother Luna, trotted around the neighborhood stealing random items and bringing them back home. She believed there was a special reason behind it. "I think cats like to bring their owners treats, that's the psychology behind it. It's more often objects rather than birds or mice, which I'm grateful for,” the cat owner told the BBC. The list of stolen goods includes underwear, a pack of sausages, a designer shoe, and an empty purse over the past four years. Harry picked up six items without the neighbors noticing in Derby over the past week.

A cat stealing clothes from a laundry basket. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by diephosi)

The cat owner was not proud of her feline’s antics as she realized some of the goods could be expensive. “There was a red shoe, and it was quite an expensive brand. The sports bras are from M&S, so they are not going to be cheap. We had a purse the other day, but nothing was in it.” Hibbert explained that Harry never misses an opportunity to steal things, be it from washing lines or inside homes. Simultaneously, his brother, Luna, has picked up similar habits and brings home rubbish things like chips and cigarette packets.

A black cat wandering the streets. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | fitopardo)

On Facebook, Hibbert posted on the page, Spotted: Darley Abbey, to share pictures of the stolen goods, courtesy of her cats, and inform people about the missing items in case they were searching for them. “So my cats are thieves and have brought many objects through the cat flap over the years, a baseball cap, sausages, cat meat pouches, slippers, socks, and even a shoe!” a part of the caption stated. She clarified her motivation to post the items on Facebook with a tinge of humor. “I thought I best start posting the treats on here because somewhere there is someone thinking they have gone mad with misplacing things! You haven’t! It’s my cats and I can only apologise.”

A cat sitting on a shelf of clothes. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Anastasiia Akh)

Hibbert’s efforts were not futile, as a neighbor pinged her to say one of the items belonged to her. The stolen goods brought in that week are packed and ready to be “returned to their owners,” the cat mom told the outlet. According to a report by The Guardian, behavioral biologists discussed the stealing instincts of felines. They speculated that it could be for seeking attention, a desire for play, or simply extending their foraging and hunting behavior. In contrast to Hibbert’s theory, a researcher at the University of Sussex, Jemma Forman, who studies cats playing fetch, said that cats generally do it for themselves rather than offer the stolen items as gifts to owners.