One pair of sharp eyes is calmly taking this scene in, patiently watching and waiting for the buzz to die down. Then, he makes his move to carry out the theft he’s planned down to the last detail.
Alas, despite his stealthy footsteps, his drop-dead gorgeous looks matched with the brilliant orange coat he’s wearing make it next to impossible for him to blend into his surroundings.
Meet Oyen, the five-year-old ginger feline who recently went viral on the internet for stealing footwear from his neighbours’ houses.
In conjunction with International Cat Day, FMT Lifestyle got to know this adorable “thief” a little better.
Oyen’s owner and doting furmum, Noraini Darus, spilt the beans on how her adorable Persian-mix pulls off his heists.
“Around 6.45am, he’ll sit on top of a car or hang around our porch to watch the neighbours,” said Noraini, 55.
Once the coast is clear – usually around 7.15am – he springs into action, sneaking into a neighbour’s house and returning with the stolen goods dangling triumphantly from his mouth.
“As soon as he reaches our gate, he’ll meow, as though letting me know, ‘I’m home! I’m home! I brought something!’,” Noraini revealed with a laugh.
Oyen drops the footwear only after spotting Noraini or hearing her voice. If she’s not around, he carries the loot into the house, so he can show off his “hunting trophies” to her later.
Oyen, she added, carries out several “missions” a day, sometimes up to three, although the frequency reduces drastically on weekends when more neighbours are at home.
According to Noraini, this fascination with footwear only began recently. Before that, he eyed different “treasures”, bringing home leaves, cigarette boxes, plastic bottles and even lizards!
Oyen, she shared, initially stole only children’s footwear. “Most of them belonged to kids who playfully disturbed him before!” Noraini explained with a laugh.
She admitted she was worried the first time Oyen brought home footwear, unsure if it would upset her neighbours. When he persisted in doing this, she decided to drop a post about her cat’s habit in her neighbourhood WhatsApp group – to explain, and to apologise.
Instead of anger or frustration, Noraini said her neighbours found Oyen’s quirky habit rather charming.
“One of them even jokingly said, ‘Oyen hasn’t come to our house yet. We’re waiting for him’,” recalled Noraini. And just like that, Oyen stole their footwear the very next day!
The cat’s antics, she shared, have brought the neighbours closer. And two of Noraini’s TikTok videos showing Oyen returning with stolen footwear have racked up over seven million views. Indeed, only this cat has the magical ability to turn petty theft into internet fame!
Noraini said Oyen came to them at about two months old. Her daughter’s friend, who owned a pet shop that was about to close, invited her to pick a cat.
She had always wanted a ginger-coloured cat – and the moment she laid eyes on Oyen, she knew she wanted him.
She shared that Oyen, who has two other cat siblings, likes to start his day early – sometimes at 5am. After all, he’s got thefts to plan and footwear to steal!
“He’ll climb onto our bed and start meowing. Then he’ll lick my cheek and nose until I get up,” Noraini said affectionately.
Indeed, this cheeky cat, who’s brought smiles to neighbours and many others online, is truly the sunshine of his family.
“When we go out, we can’t wait to come home. And when we’re at home, we’re always hugging and kissing Oyen. Life with him is never boring,” she concluded with a smile.