The night before, 21-year-old Daniel Pinedo Velapatino consumed large amounts of drugs, stole thousands of dollars from a friend, and smashed into a bunch of cars as he fled from police. To hide, the suspect knocked on a woman’s door in Boca Raton, Florida.

The homeowner, Candace Noonan, thought Velapatino was a landscaper. He knocked on her door last Tuesday to ask for a drink.

He said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. Next door, I’m mowing the lawn. Do you mind if I have a glass of water?”

Noonan obliged, but when she returned with the water, she noticed Velapatino lying on her floor, playing with her cats.

“It was odd, very odd,” she said. “He was stroking my cat. It almost looked like he either was on drugs or he was mentally handicapped.”

When Noonan’s husband began questioning Velpatino, he fled out the back door. However, the Noonans led police to him and he was soon captured, all because he couldn’t resist petting some cats.

To read how cute cats thwarted a criminal, click here.