School Finally Busts Thief, and It's a Cat

A New Zealand primary school has finally cracked the mystery of its serial thief: It's a cat. Staff at Apanui School in Whakatane had been puzzled as lone shoes, goggles, underwear, and towels kept vanishing from school grounds over the course of a year or more, reports UPI. "When a pair of [swimming trunks] and a towel went missing, my office lady checked the cameras for our wee offender and he was witnessed, and a large stash was found at the back of the PE shed," principal Marama Stewart tells Stuff.co.nz.

Video shows the black cat hauling a towel across the playground. The groundskeeper tracked down the feline's owner, who confirmed the pet's reputation for pinching things and will presumably attempt to keep the cat in check. The school, meanwhile, has dubbed the animal "Slinky Malinki," after the mischievous cat in a popular New Zealand children's book, and the principal says the episode will become story-writing fodder for students.