Fact: cats are clever creatures. Other fact: they don’t always use their cleverness for good!

This smart kitty has figured out that stray cats get more treats than she was getting at home, so she started passing herself off as homeless at her local co-op! Well-meaning strangers, thinking she was lonely and hungry, have been feeding her treats from their grocery baskets and encouraging her to sneak out of her home for more!

Minnie is a 4-year-old tabby who has been tricking the locals for over a year. Her family knows exactly what she’s up to and they’re not proud of their sneaky kitty! Andrea Blower, Minnie’s owner, tells BBC News:

“When we go and see her at the Co-op she’s the nicest cat ever, but as soon as we get her home she’s just vile. She tricks everyone into feeling sorry for her.”

Andrea has tried to keep her cat indoors, but Minnie refuses to let locks and closed doors get between her and a free meal! The co-op is only a minute’s walk from the Blower home, and Andrea used to spend a good part of her day walking to the shop and bringing her cat back home – up to eight times a day! After Minnie injured herself in her determination to escape, Andrea gave up trying to stop her.

“I go and check her two or three times a day but there’s no point bringing her home because she scratches someone or bites someone and goes out the door again.”

Andrea has had to change her strategy to convince her cat to give up. The co-op has set a basket up for Minnie outside to stop her from coming in, and they’ve added a sign that would make Minnie pretty mad if she could read!

“I have a home.

I only keep coming back because I get so much love, attention, and food here.

Even if I meow please do not feed me.”

Minnie has become a local celebrity and a favorite for visitors to the co-op. Jenny Winfield, the supervisor at the store, says Minnie has plenty of fans who stop by just to see her.

“We get customers coming to the counter and saying, ‘Can you give this to the cat?’ and we say ‘No’.”

Even with the sign, people are still feeding Minnie, and they’ve even upgraded her outdoor digs recently!

Hopefully, people will mind the signs and stop feeding Minnie – then maybe she’ll give up her double life and settle in at home!