There’s nothing more annoying than misplacing something only to find it hours or days later thinking, ‘how on earth did it ever get there?!’ But it can become slightly concerning when you’re sure of the placement of your beloved items only to not find them where you left them. Similar concerns plagued this family, but the mom’s ingenious idea managed to find the culprit.
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Sometimes if you want to get to the bottom of anything you need to use technology, such as night vision cameras to catch the cat burglar red-handed in the crime. But what happens when the burglar IS the cat? Well, you share the videos for the world to enjoy! And this is exactly what we’re going to look at today!
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If you want to get to the bottom of something, you have to go into sneaky high-tech mode to catch your cat burglar
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Christine, the head of the household, told the Laughing Squid that she was concerned about her daughter’s stuffed animals as they kept going missing or finding themselves in new places. So she thought of something quite ingenious: she set up cameras throughout the house in order to solve the perplexing mystery. And what she saw was truly the beginning of something special.
It wasn’t a ghost that was nabbing the unsuspecting toys, nor was it aliens. It was actually Batman. No, not the superhero, but the family’s black and white munchkin cat.
Meet the cat, named Batman, but instead of being a superhero, he's become a super thief, stealing toys from his owner's daughter
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Batman's origin story is a lot sweeter than the original Dark Knight's. Christine told Bored Panda that they had three rescue cats, Buttercup, Larry and Bambi, when they looked into getting a Munchkin cat: "We had seen a feature about them on Animal Planet, so I did some research and found Munchkinlane Cattery a few hours away. They breed show-quality cats and have a very good reputation and track record in the world of Munchkins."
"The timing was perfect because she had just had a litter, and they would be ready just in time to bring home as a Christmas surprise for our daughter. There were five cats in the litter. They were all cream colored girls. Batman was the only boy and also the smallest." And thus, Batman's new life with Christine and his three new siblings began.
It's become a nightly occurrence for Batman's shenanigans, nabbing some toys and bringing them to his cat mom
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
It seemed as though Batman was picking a different toy every night from the daughter's closet, as they were on the floor, and scurrying away with it. Christine told Bored Panda that "around the time our senior, alpha-male cat, Buttercup, passed away, I noticed that he was bringing them upstairs to me as gifts while I was sleeping. This was about a year ago." Thus, they decided that instead of throwing the stuffed toys away, they’d just let Batman have them.
Ever since then, it’s become a nightly occurrence of Batman nabbing a toy from his box or finding articles of clothing with a string, such as a bikini top, in the girl’s room and then bringing the goodies to the mum’s bedroom whilst she slept.
Once the daughter grew up, they decided to let Batman have all the toys he loved stealing instead of throwing them away
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
The family decided to post the hilarious videos, soon gaining popularity on Instagram and TikTok
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
She told Bored Panda that Batman seems to be quite particular with the type of toys that he likes to bring up - they're all stuffed animals with a face. The kitty usually sniffs about the box, looking for a toy to take, then snatches it up in his mouth and uses his tiny legs to adorably hop up the stairs and into his cat mom’s bedroom.
Sometimes she seems to fall asleep on the couch so he brings it there instead. According to Christine, she is the only one Batman brings gifts to, however, if Batman is in a playful mood, he'll bring little items such as strings, hair-ties, and plastic twist-ties to her husband and daughter. Strangers can forget about any giftings, as Batman is a shy kitty, hiding away in the shadows until the Bat-signal is seen, or it's dinner time.
We will be forever grateful for the adorable and hilarious videos Christine continues to share on their social media. The little captions and highlighted ‘meows’, as well as the heavy metal music to accompany the thefts, is what creates such a spectacle of Batman. As well as bringing in some context for the deeds taking place, it also brings us closer to understanding what goes on inside the little heads of our friendly felines.
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Batman's tiny munchkin legs don't stop his antics, and apparently, this particular type of cat has a love for all things shiny
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Batman has to go through a few obstacles to get to his mom and with his tiny legs, the stairs might seem a daunting task, yet he braves them fantastically. According to Petfinder, the Munchkin cat has no problem getting around the same as its longer-limbed friends, but it might take them a few extra steps.
They’re usually cute, curious, and resemble magpies in their love for anything shiny or stealable. It is very common for these kitties to be nabbing jewelry and other belongings and Batman doesn’t disappoint.
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
The little captions of his adventures build up an entertaining story, but the question remains - why do cats steal in the first place?
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
It appears Batman’s brother Larry is starting to follow in his brother’s footsteps, stealing a toy and bringing it to his mom. It is adorable to see, to say the least, but that brings us to the question - why do cats do this in the first place? Why bring gifts, why steal? So many questions, let’s try answering them.
Cats are natural-born kleptomaniacs. Their hunting instincts come into play and the clever, athletic, and stealthy felines can do little but obey it. According to BeChewy, cats “love to prey on harmless household items and pile them up under beds, sofas, refrigerators, and anywhere your hands can’t easily reach.”
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Boredom and a lack of stimulation tend to be at the forefront of cats' criminal behavior, but each cat differs
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Dr. Aimee Simpson, the Medical Director of VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia, believes that the behavior is a mix of wanting to hunt and a lack of stimulation they normally would get as outside wild cats, thus “boredom and lack of environmental enrichment is kind of at the heart of the stealing issue.”
But it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes they’re asking for attention, or wanting more food, or just marking their territory; the reason will be individual to each cat.
And whether the reasons for kleptomaniac tendencies may be for attention, play, food, or the appreciation for diamonds, it’s usually harmless.
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Protect your kitties - hide tiny things they could swallow and observe changes in their behavior as they can indicate more serious issues
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Of course, the behavior should be observed by pet owners to both notice differences in their pet's behavior and make sure that what they’re stealing won’t become a health issue later on.
Hair elastics, rubber bands, and paper clips could be high on the feline’s list of items to steal and stash, but they’re also easy to ingest, so keeping those items out of easy reach might save you an expensive visit to the vet and a lot of anxiety.
Also, Dr. Simpson explained that deviations from usual behavior that turn compulsive might be an indicator for serious medical issues that should be discussed with the family vet.
However, in this case the adorable thief isn’t stealing for his own good, but rather for his mom’s. A gift one would call it. So why do cats feel the need to give things to their owners?
Otherwise, kitty kleptomania is harmless. But then, what do we make of kitty gift-giving?
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Most cat behavior experts agree that in the myriad of potential reasons your cat is gifting you things, their love for you is obvious
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
A lot of the time, it’s not necessarily a plushie but leaves, mice, birds, or anything else they could have killed off during their time outside.
Whichever the prize, cat behaviorists have a multitude of theories for the friendly feline’s actions. The dead bird on your pillow, as much as it may be traumatizing for you, is a way for your cat to say it loves you and thanks you for the warmth and food you provide.
It could also be the cat saying ‘this is how it’s done, you pathetic human’ as it never sees its owner hunting. Or it could be the cat saying, ‘you’re looking a bit skinny, have a meal’.
Whichever the reason, don’t react in disgust, but be grateful, praise your kitty friend and have a nice long google as to how to train the cat to bring in valuables from the neighbors instead of tiny carcasses. Please don’t, this is a joke.
So whether it be a toy, a mouse, or your daughter's bikini top, accept the gifts, praise your fur baby, and await more gifts to come
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
Batman, although a villain in his actions, is the hero we need to help make our days brighter
Image credits: batman_the_munchkin_cat
What needs to be remembered is that the cat loves you as much as you love them and their way of expressing it is to bring you things. We can clearly see Batman adores his mom very much and will keep on making our days brighter with his nightly escapades.
Christine explained that Batman doesn't have a lot of fondness for treats, though he'll try to "steal a piece of chicken or turkey off your plate if you turn your back." The little thief never ceases to amaze us! If you'd like to show your appreciation for Batman and his family, make sure to follow them on their channels on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, as well as checking out their merchandise store online and also an Amazon wish-list, that is mostly costumes and stuffed animals. Here's a link to their linktree if you'd like to have a look.