A family who installed a camera to catch the mystery culprit wrecking their sofa were stunned to discover three neighbourhood cats had been sneaking into their home for months.
The Round family set up a camera after noticing unexplained damage to their sofa and finding their pet food disappearing at an alarming rate.
But instead of catching one of their own pets in the act, they uncovered a secret feline crime ring operating under their noses.
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Footage revealed a revolving cast of cat burglars slipping through the cat flap and helping themselves to food while the family’s five cats and one dog appeared completely oblivious.
“We thought it was quite funny at the time,” Simon Round, from Bourne, Lincolnshire, told Whats The Jam.
“We’re big animal lovers.
“We found it amusing to start with but that wore off quite quickly.
“Every morning, we wake and check our phones to see how many visitors we’ve had during the night trying to get into the cat flap.
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“It is quite entertaining.”
One of the regular visitors was a black-and-white moggy called Trigger.
After spotting him on the footage, the family discovered his owners had previously reported him missing on Facebook.
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Trigger has since been reunited with his family – but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing his nightly visits.
Simon said: “We weren’t shocked when we caught one cat.
“When we discovered we had two different cats visiting every night, we were very shocked.
“Our five cats and one dog don’t do a very good job of protecting our house!”
The family soon realised Trigger wasn’t acting alone.
A second black-and-white cat also began appearing regularly on camera.
The mystery visitor was quickly nicknamed Felix, although nobody has yet come forward to claim ownership.
Then came a third unexpected guest.
Simon said the family were later woken in the early hours by yet another feline intruder.
He added: “We haven’t a clue who this one is either, just another random cat that decided to wake the house that we have nicknamed Screaming Bob.”
A second indoor camera in the lounge captured the furry freeloaders tucking into food bowls and even playing with catnip toys.
Despite Trigger being identified and returned to his owners, both he and Felix continue to make regular appearances.
Dave Ward, from camera maker Ring, said: “This is a great example of how Ring cameras can help reunite lost pets with their owners.
“Without the footage, Trigger’s family might never have known where he was going each night.
“It shows how technology and neighbours working together can make all the difference in bringing pets safely home.”
Daniel Warren-Cummings, behaviour officer at Cats Protection, said: “Microchipping your cat is a wise precaution if they should become lost and be resorting to visiting other homes to steal food.
“A microchip is safe, permanent and linked to contact details that are stored safely in a database.
“Provided the owner keeps the contact details up-to-date then it provides the best chance of being reunited with a lost pet.
“If you wish to deter cats coming into your home, then microchipped cat flaps and putting physical barriers in front of cat flaps also helps to keep your cat safe and worry-free.”
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