An actual cat burglar is unashamedly stealing men’s underwear in New Zealand.

Six-year-old Tonkinese cat Brigit has nicked dozens of pairs of men’s knickers and socks in her local area of Hamilton on New Zealand’s north island over the past six months.

The thefts have caused her owner Sarah Nathan so much grief that Ms Nathan has taken to social media to help find the cat’s victims.

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Earlier this month, Ms Nathan shared a picture of Brigit with her haul on Facebook in the hope that someone would recognise their intimates.

“Now it’s getting silly. This is Brigit’s haul from the last two months. Every morning we wake up to more … someone must be missing this stuff,” she said.

She also left apologetic notes in local letterboxes appealing for the owners, but to no avail.

On Sunday, her call-out reached headlines on the New Zealand Herald.

“It’s an absolute obsession. A night does not go by without her bringing things home,” Ms Nathan told the Herald.

“It’s all men’s. It’s really, really weird. She’s got really specific taste.”

Ms Nathan said the clothes were clean and had most likely been taken from a neighbour’s clothesline.

She said Brigit had been known to thieve random items of clothing in the past, once bringing home a hockey shin pad and jumper at her previous residence, but now she had become more discerning.

Ms Nathan is hoping to find the unlucky neighbours before she and Brigit move overseas.

She said they would be living on a larger property, where she hoped the cat would give up her thieving ways.