Japan on the lookout for shoplifting cat

Thousands of Japanese social media users have joined the hunt for a four-legged thief plaguing a convenience store.

A Twitter user photographed a poster in the window of a 7-Eleven in Kanto, the region that encompasses Tokyo, which warns customers about a shoplifting cat — accompanied by a picture of the black cat making off with its stolen bounty in its mouth.

"We need your help. Please do not feed this cat," reads the sign, according to RocketNews24.

"It enters the store and shoplifts cat food.

"We told the cat that it was banned from the store but it didn't listen."

The photo of the cat burglar has been shared on Twitter almost 20,000 times.