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Kylo, a ginger cat, has become a local celebrity in the small town of Ferny Hills in Brisbane, Australia and the reason why will come as a surprise. This furry friend has been stealing small items like toys, and delivering these “gifts” to his neighbors, according to ABC News Australia.
Here’s how a house cat rose from petty crime to fame.
Mysterious small gifts are left out for neighbors!
At first, most residents weren’t sure who was delivering these unexpected gifts to their yards. Kay McCall, who moved to the neighborhood last March, recalled waking up one day to a couple of toys in her yard. But the gifts continued to appear.
"Most days the presents kept coming, and some days there was just one, and some days there were quite a few, and some days there were none," McCall said, as reported in Cole and Marmalade.
McCall caught the cat red-handed, and was even more surprised when she recognized him as the feline who frequented her daily for a friendly pat. For the next several months the exchange continued and McCall was delighted by the discoveries and decided to share it with others, according to the news release.
Known as the Pirate Kitty, the cat’s popularity is growing on social media
In September, McCall posted photos of the t- shirts, gloves, stuffed animals and a variety of other small items she had accumulated from the cat to a community Facebook group, KindPetSitting reports. There was a great response with dozens of comments from locals saying they too had been visited with similar gifts and by Kylo himself.
McCall continued to post photos of the gifts daily, garnering hundreds of likes and followers who referred to him as the “Pirate Kitty”.
"Everyone fell in love with him on the spot, and he sort of became … a community icon," Mrs McCall told ABC News Australia.
Even with the publicity, McCall and others didn’t even know the cat's name. Eventually McCall tracked down the cat burglar’s owners and found that he came from a loving home. The family told her that their “Johnny” just loved the outdoors.
The Pirate Kitty finds a new home and a new name
Kylo is the name given by his current owner, Ingred Moyle, who adopted him last Christmas according to the cat’s Instagram. Moyle was a follower of the Pirate Kitty’s stories and adopted the kitten when its owners could no longer care for him properly.
"I was a Pirate Kitty fan from the very first post … and then I saw the post that Kay put up saying his previous owners couldn't keep him anymore," Ms Moyle said in the news release.
After settling into his new home, the cat didn’t respond to Johnny. Moyle’s family persisted in trying several different names, including ones the residents had given their ‘nameless’ friend. Finally the cat responded to Kylo named after the Star Wars character Kylo Ren.
"We're Star Wars nuts, Kylo was this angsty young male who had a red sword so it seemed obvious that we've got this angsty young male in the house," Ms Moyle said in the news release.
Kylo’s fame continues with his new adventures inside
The family has made the “Pirate Kitty” an indoor cat. And while he no longer visits the neighbors, he is still maintaining his celebrity status.
The humans he now lives with maintains Kylo’s social media presence and now shares his new adventures inside the home. His instagram bio reads: “Pirate Kitty Kylo is a rescue kitty / cat burglar who has traded in his life of crime to move in with a geeky family in north Brisbane, Australia.”
The family gives Kylo the chance to continue his magpie-like lovable habit, and leave a box full of goodies including plush toys, stuffed animals, feathers etc. tipped over for the pet to rummage through and choose the perfect gift to bring to his owners.
“Then we let him do it…and during the night you hear “noise, noise, noise’ going up the stairs,” his new pet parent says, as KindPetSitting shares.
Then "He'll come and just stand by your bed and go 'meow, look what I brought you', and then he just goes off and gets another one." Moyle tells ABC News Australia.
The McCalls and the others who befriended the cat still get to visit Kylo but now in his home. "There was actually a sense that he was the community's pirate cat," McCall told ABC News Australia. Especially during a time like the pandemic, Kylo not only delivered small tokens and gifts, but a bright spot of joy to his neighbors to uplift them during the pandemic.
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