Dusty the Klepto Kitty

**Dusty the Klepto Kitty** was a famous Snowshoe cat. He became popular in early 2011 for his acts of "burglary" in his neighborhood.

By then, Dusty had stolen 16 car wash mitts, 7 sponges, 213 dish towels, 7 wash cloths, 5 bath towels, 18 shoes, 73 socks, 100 gloves, 1 pair of mittens, 3 aprons, 40 balls, 4 pairs of underwear, 1 dog collar, 6 rubber toys, 1 blanket, 3 leg warmers, 2 Frisbees, 1 golf club cover, 1 safety mask, 2 mesh bags, 1 bag of water balloons, 1 pair of pajama pants, 8 swimsuits, and 8 other objects.

His behavior got him an appearance on the _Late Show with David Letterman_ in February 2011.

He got the nickname "Klepto Kitty"" because of the word Kleptomania.  He had already taken more than 600 items from the gardens he roams around in. Most of his theft happens at night. The most he has brought home at once is eleven things, his owners say. He has even been caught on camera carrying home a bra.

## Early years

Dusty was born on March 20, 2006. He lived in San Mateo, California.  He was adopted from an animal shelter; the Peninsula Humane Society. His owners are Jean Chu and Jim Coleman.

For his first two years, Dusty stayed home and seemed to be a normal cat. But in 2008, his owners began to find items and clothes that did not belong to them showing up in the house. Sometimes, the cat would put them in his owner's bed. They began to suspect that their cat was bringing them home. This turned out to be very true.

## Fame

Dusty didn't really get much attention outside of his neighborhood until February 2011. Animal Planet had read about him in People magazine. Animal Planet had a TV show named _Must Love Cats_ and they made a feature about Dusty.  Their crew was able to set up a night vision camera and catch Dusty bringing home his treasures. After this, there was a news story on KGO TV station in San Francisco .  He began to be seen in YouTube videos and got famous on the internet. He was interviewed with his owners on the _Late Show with David Letterman_ on February 22, 2011.

## Other events

After he was seen on Letterman's show and other news shows around the world, Dusty became a celebrity.  He has been shown at many community events in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was the Grand Marshal of the Redwood City Pet Parade in May 2011.

Because Dusty was adopted from the Peninsula Humane Society animal shelter, he made a celebrity appearance at their annual adopt-a-thon in June, 2011. Some of his unclaimed stolen items were shown.  They were given away to people who gave a donation.

Some of the kitty-cam movie for the Animal Planet documentary was used as a bonus feature on the DVD release for the 2011 movie _Puss in Boots_.  It is named "Klepto Kitty". It is about three minutes and a half minutes long.

He has a Facebook page for his fans. It shows pictures of the latest things that Dusty brings home.

## Other websites

- Official Facebook page
- Klepto Feline Gives New Meaning to 'Cat' Burglar. ABC News (San Francisco).
- "Klepto Cat" to Make Celebrity Appearance. ABC News (San Francisco).
- The Klepto Kitty | Must Love Cats

## Infobox (animal)

- **name**: Dusty
- **othername**: Dusty the Klepto Kitty
- **species**: _Cat_
- **gender**: Male
- **birth place**: San Mateo, California, U.S.
- **death date**: (Age 17)
- **breed**: Snowshoe (cat), Snowshoe
- **occupation**: Cat burglary, burglar
- **owner**: Jean Chu and Jim Coleman
- **years active**: 2008–2023