Dusty the Klepto Cat Gives Back from kristine a. wong on Vimeo.

World-famous Dusty the Klepto Cat is a 5-year-old male Siamese who has stolen approximately 600 items over the last three years, according to guardian Jean Chu of San Mateo, Calif.

Among the many items the 15-pound cat has stolen from his neighbors include shoes, towels, leg warmers, a mask, gloves, a stuffed animal, bathing suits, a bra, and men’s briefs.

Dusty makes his heists in the dead of night. His unusual exploits have earned him fame with spots on “Animal Planet,” “Late Night With David Letterman,” and ABC-TV news in the Bay Area.

On June 25, 2011, Dusty, Jean Chu and Chu’s daughter Kayla met a crowd of Dusty’s fans at an animal adopt-a-thon sponsored by the Peninsula Humane Society (PHS) in San Mateo. Dusty was adopted from PHS as a kitten.

With a donation to the shelter, visitors got to take home their very own Dusty souvenir — one of the more than 100 towels he’s stolen throughout the years. Chu embroidered “DUSTY Klepto Kitty” on each, along with a pawprint.

I produced this video (camera, video editing, writing) for Half Moon Bay Patch, along with a written print story.

The video was also featured on the home page of the Huffington Post News and Opinion section (which features videos), AOL Weird News, and on the I Can Has Cheezburger network of sites.