SHAH ALAM – A male pet cat belonging to Noraini Darus, 55, from Section 29 here, has captured the attention of netizens after his antics of ‘stealing’ neighbours’ slippers went viral on social media.
Noraini said the mixed-breed Persian and local cat, named Oyen has been with her for the past five years.
“We used to live in a condominium in Kota Damansara, so Oyen would just stay indoors. But ever since we moved to this terrace house, he’s been feeling more ‘free’ and his behaviour has become more mischievous,” she told Sinar on Thursday.
According to Noraini, Oyen initially only brought back dry leaves, cigarette boxes and lizards.
However, over the past two months, he started returning home with neighbours’ slippers.
“One day, I noticed a pile of slippers in front of our gate. At the time, I had no idea where they came from. But when the neighbours started asking questions and checked their closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, we realised it was Oyen who had taken them,” she said.
Noraini admitted that at first she felt embarrassed and didn’t know how to return the slippers Oyen had collected.
Her husband then jokingly told the neighbours that if they ever lost a slipper, they could check in front of their house.
She said that Oyen’s 'mischievous but endearing' behaviour has become a source of laughter among the neighbours and even strengthened their community ties.
“All the neighbours are young, under 40. I’m the oldest. But they’re all kind and have never been angry. In fact, some are even waiting for Oyen’s next ‘haul’ on TikTok,” she said.
Noraini also said that Oyen is a disciplined cat who always comes home every night for meals.
“That’s why he never misses coming home. Even if he’s late, my children will go look for him,” she said.
Noraini also shared that she once used a tracking tag to monitor Oyen’s movements.
“After putting on the tag, it was easier to know where he was if he didn’t return for a while. But now we don’t use it anymore, because he’s smart enough to come home on his own,” she said.
She added that ever since Oyen’s video went viral on TikTok, many people have jokingly suggested that she train him to collect money instead.
“For me, his quirky habit of collecting slippers is enough as long as he doesn’t start taking anything valuable from others,” she added.