Show and Tell - Why?

I used to have a smokey gray cat named Rascal. He truly lived up to his name. He did little mischievous things all the time. Then, when he was about a year old, he started "the game."

Rascal would steal things. Well, not just anything. He stole clothing. Worn clothing. Small, easily movable clothing. Yes, if given the opportunity (twice) the cat would steal my underwear.

That wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was that he would take his stolen object outside. To the neighbors. He took his treasure out the doggie door, over the six foot high concrete fence, and to the neighbor's back door. Then he would leave.

At first, the neighbors would put whatever he left on the fence. I would gather the article up and take it back inside. When I found what was definitely my underwear on the fence, I just about died. I couldn't look at the neighbor's house for days!

Then Rascal decided that he needed to repay me with something from the neighbor's house. From them, he always chose yellow rubber gloves--both of them. He would bring that stupid pair of gloves over to my house time and time again. Every time, I would put the gloves back on the fence, to be retrieved by the neighbors.

This happened for years until the cat passed away.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, it has started again, only with a slightly different scenario, and totally different cats.

One of my cats, I am not exactly sure which one it is, is up to a similar game. I suspect it is Annie, but I have yet to see this actually happen before my eyes, so it is still a mystery.

In the garage, there is a pile of old clothes that have been designated as rags. The pile on a tall utility shelf off in the corner.

One of my cats has found this pile, and this is what she does...


The cat has started the game of move the rags. Sometime during the night, the cat will target her rag(s) to bring in the house. I'll find the rags in various locations. Sometimes they stay right by the garage door (like in the pictures--that's a pair of old sweats by the way). Sometimes, the rags find their way into the living room. Occasionally, they are left in the hallway leading to our bedroom. Twice, the rags even ended up in the bedroom. (shouldn't I have heard that?) Most of the time, there will only be one or two items brought in the house. The record was five.

Apparently, my job is to gather up the rags each morning. Both cats will watch me do this, so that doesn't give me a clue as to which one is the culprit. I tell the offending cat that she doesn't need to bring me the rags, I know they are out there. Then I walk the rags back through the house, through the garage, to the rag pile on top of this high utility shelf.

I have moved everything away from the shelf so there is nothing for the cats to jump up on to get to the rags.

I have made sure that there isn't anything on the outside of the utility shelf for the cat to climb up.

I have even gone so far as to line the outside of the utility shelf with double sided tape.

Still the game continues. Four or five times a week.

I have no idea why (and now how) she does it. It just strikes me as peculiar that I have had two cats which have had obsessions with my clothes!

Anyone else out there have a cat like this? (or do I just drive cats crazy?)