By RNZ

Residents in an Auckland North Shore neighbourhood are being warned about a cat burglar nicking clothes from their washing lines.

Helen North’s cat Leo has brought home everything from socks and undies to a $300 designer jersey.

She told Midday Report Sunday afternoons were Leo’s big day as everyone had their laundry out.

“He brings home a lot of things. He doesn’t do much with them once they are inside, he just dumps them on the floors and just goes about his business.”

She said her family had nicknamed him Leonardo da Pinchi.

Helen North says the biggest thing Leo has brought home is a 1.5 metre stuffed snake. Photo / RNZ

North said returning items to their owners was a difficult task.

“We’ve got a Whatsapp group that I take photographs of everything he brings in and send them round to that group, but we can’t find everything that he brings in so yesterday I put a Facebook post out... and that got hundreds and hundreds of people just saying ‘that’s cute’.

“We did manage to get a few things given back.”

North said the biggest thing Leo had brought home was a 1.5m stuffed snake.

“He brought that home twice so he obviously really, really liked it,” she said.

- RNZ