Some cats have been known to present their owners with dead birds and mice. Brigit the Tonkinese cat brings owner Sarah Nathan gifts of a different sort.

"She's showing her love by bringing me underpants," Nathan told Carol Off on CBC's As it Happens.

The Hamilton, New Zealand, cat has a penchant for men's underwear and socks, particularly patterned boxer briefs.

Brigit has brought home about 30 pairs of underwear and at least 100 socks.

"You can't not notice it when a pair of stripy men's underpants arrives in your hallway when you're living in an all-girl house," Nathan says.

Now Nathan is reaching out to the owner, or owners, of the pilfered undies, so that they can be returned to their rightful home.

Because of the similar style of all the boxer briefs, "I'm pretty sure the underwear is coming from the same source," she says.

At first Nathan put a flyer out on her street, but when she didn't get a response she cast a wider net, posting a picture on Facebook. It's since received more than 800 shares.

Nathan thinks she knows how her cat is getting the skivvies. In New Zealand, she says, it's common for people to dry their clothes on racks outdoors.

"It's like a smorgasbord of underpants," she says.

Nathan's currently moving house, and whether Brigit will continue her underwear-stealing spree in her new neighbourhood remains to be seen.

"She was into sports gear last year," Nathan says.