Mystery over cat's 'shameless' food stealing spree

The exploits of a "shameless" cat that has stolen 15 packets food in less than a week has gripped animal lovers from across the world on social media.

Black cat Murtagh, known as Murt, first dragged a pouch of stolen food into his home in Ormskirk, Lancashire, on Wednesday, according to owner Meaghan Robertson.

Yet despite an appeal to neighbours, Meaghan said she cannot work out where the food - a brand different to that served at home - is from, and he "just keeps helping himself", with more packets appearing by the day.

She said: "He's got two brain cells and they're both fighting for first place. There's nothing going on in there. So this is so out of character for him entirely."

The pet's prolific pilfering has attracted thousands of responses online, with some people commenting that Murt's escapades had brightened their day.

Meghan said well-wishers had even posted them cat food and she thinks the cat's thieving has appealed to people because "he's so shameless about it".

"I think just his face, his whole demeanour, all of it is just, it's crazy. It's gone nuts. I'm glad it makes people happy though.".

She told the BBC she has remained stumped as to why the young cat has been out stealing snacks given he is "very well fed at home".

After the first incident, she said: "It was just so shocking. And I texted my friend about it. And I was like, 'oh my God', look what he's done. If he does another one, I'm going to lose my mind.

"And then he did. And he kept doing it."

Meaghan first posted about Murt's marauding on a local Facebook group to warn neighbours and try and track down the source of his ill-gotten gains.

"It was supposed to just be to let my neighbours know that he was stealing, and to say please don't be mad at me, I'll replace that. I'll reimburse you," she said.

She has knocked on doors to see if people are missing any cat food but to no avail, and said the source remains a mystery.

The posts now have thousands of likes and comments from people across the world hooked on Murt's opportunism and speculating over the source, and Meaghan said she cannot believe the response.

"I was like, 'this is bonkers'. This is so crazy. Did not expect this whatsoever. It is the funniest thing to happen to me ever."

Meaghan moved from the US to Glasgow about 20 years ago before she made a new home with her partner and young son in Ormskirk in about 2020.

The family adopted Murt from charity Cats Protection after the death of their previous cat.

"On his listing, he just has this huge nose. And I just fell in love with his face immediately", Meaghan said.

He is named after the character Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser in the historical fantasy TV show Outlander.

"His full name is Murtagh Fitzgibbons, which we call him when he's being in trouble or he's getting into trouble. So yeah, he hears it a lot," she said.

Meaghan said she hopes Murt will "eventually stop" and that she has resisted calls to put a body-worn camera on him to find out where he is getting the food from.

"We tried to follow him this morning, but he evaded us. He got through a fence, he slipped away," she said, adding he knows he is being watched.

"For such a ridiculous not-very-clever creature he's got this nailed down."

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